Coroner's report calls string of suicides in indigenous community "avoidable"

A coroner’s report into the suicides of five people in the indigenous community of Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam has determined the deaths were avoidable.

Between Feb. 10 and Oct. 31, 2015, the community of 3,400 suffered the loss of Charles Junior Gregoire Vollant, Marie-Marthe Gregoire, Alicia Grace Sandy, Celine Michel-Rock and Nadeige Guanish.

In the report, Quebec coroner Bernard Lefrancois said the five suicides had “a common backdrop.”

“In almost all of the cases, at the time of the suicide there was a sort of profound personal discontent; most of the time, the person did not want to die, but to put an end to his or her suffering,” he said. “The person did not see any solutions and only death appeared to be a means to an end to that suffering.”

Lefrancois noted that while each of the five was a unique case, alcohol and drug abuse was a thread that wove between all of them.

“Without help, the person may drink and use drugs, or even abuse medication in order to dull the suffering, but that only lasts while the substance has an effect,” he said. “Afterward, there are side effects, which may leave the person in emotional overload and depressed.”

An “apartheid system”

Another factor was a “backdrop of profound collective discontent experienced by the community as a whole.” Noting that Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam has services not found in many other indigenous communities, such as social services, schools and shelters and rehabilitation centres, Lefrancois said the attitudes displayed towards Quebec’s indigenous communities played just as much of a role in contributing to the atmosphere surrounding the suicides as a lack of funding.

“I believe that as long as the viewpoint from which the problems are approached and the solutions are proposed does not change, things will not really improve,” he said. “I believe and see evidence that the great fundamental problem lies with the ‘apartheid’ system into which Aboriginals have been thrust for 150 years or more.”

He criticized the 1876 Indian Act as outdated that has reduced Canada’s indigenous people to second-class citizens. While the community is governed by a different law, the Northeastern Quebec Agreement, “a reserve remains a reserve, even if it is not called that.”

Falling through the cracks

Lefrancois also had sharp words for local suicide protocols. Following the death of Guanish, nine more suicide attempts were reported in the area. He praised the initial local response but observed that there was a lack of follow up in many cases and for those who did die, a lack of proactive care.

“Persons who ask for help generally receive services,” he said. “But those who don’t ask for any are given minimum attention.”

Recommended solutions

The coroner issued several recommendatiosn to combat the suicide crisis, including better follow up for those suffering from psychological trauma, more education on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and the creation of a indigenous suicide prevention centre that would offer services to all indigenous communities on the North Shore. He also called for closer monitoring of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to help identify at-risk youth in small communities. 

Community reaction

In a statement released on Sunday, the chief of Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam said his community is ready to take responsibility and work together towards a better future. However, he said they need provincial and federal help to implement all of the recommendations as quickly as possible

Many of Quebec’s indigenous communities reacted on Sunday to the coroner’s report.

“It’s time to put pressure on the government,” said Nakuset, the executive director of the Native Women’s Shelter in Montreal. “Why are these communities living in third world conditions?”

A political advisor to the Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam community had set up psychological services in the area. After three years Jean-Claude Therrien Pinette had to step-down because of burnout.

“I'm 43 years old and I have more than 20 of my friends commit suicide, so I was deeply impacted by this issue in my community,” he said.   

Suicide intervention trainer Chad Diabo says it’s crucial to have people working in suicide prevention who are from the community and can speak the language.

“We have to own the problem,” he said. “We have to own the solutions. First Nations people want collaboration. We want outside sources to work with us to work for ourselves.”