Feds promise youth centre to fight rash of Attawapiskat suicides

The federal government has pledged to build a new youth centre in crisis-stricken Attawapiskat, to help combat a wave of suicide attempts among young people living in the northern Ontario community.

Attawapiskat Chief Bruce Shisheesh says the government is moving in the right direction to assist his people, after the community declared a state of emergency on Apr. 9. However, Shisheesh says the prime minister needs to see things for himself to fully understand why residents are resorting to such extreme acts.

"I would like to invite the prime minister to see first-hand what we're going through here in our community, that way he can witness it and that way he doesn't get any second-hand information," Shisheesh told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.

Shisheesh said the community is plagued by housing issues, including mold in many homes and a lack of proper living space for many residents. "There's a lot of families that are overcrowded in homes," he said.

Officials in the community say there were 28 recorded suicide attempts in March, and more than a dozen attempts have been recorded so far in April.

The federal government has pledged to immediately begin work on a youth centre aimed at promoting First Nations identity in Attawapiskat, as requested by members of the community. The pledge was announced one day after Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett visited Attawapiskat, along with NDP MP Charlie Angus. Several young people grilled Bennett over housing and food conditions while she was in the community.

"Tell me why we First Nations live in third-world conditions," one man said on Monday.

On Tuesday, Bennett hailed the planned youth centre as a way to restore pride in Attawapiskat's First Nations population.

"It's about identity… for them to be able to be proud indigenous people, back in touch with their culture, on the land and with the skills that they know they need to have," she told reporters on Parliament Hill.

No timetables or budgets have been announced for completion of the youth centre, but Bennett says the planning phase has already begun. "It will take a little while to get a youth centre, but they (the community) need to be involved in the planning," she said.

Bennett also announced plans for a delegation of Indigenous youth to visit Ottawa, to speak about the issues facing their people.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Bennett said a "genuine partnership" is required to help communities like Attawapiskat deal with their difficult conditions.

"No community in Canada should ever be faced with the circumstances that led so many of their young people to lose hope," she said in the statement.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed Bennett's statement on Twitter. "The people of Attawapiskat deserve hope, and concrete support from government," he tweeted. "Young people in Attawapiskat have asked for youth and healing centres where the community can come together. Work on these begins immediately."

The PM also thanked Bennett and Angus, whose riding includes Attawapiskat, for paying a visit to the community.

Shisheesh hailed the youth centre plans as a step in the right direction. "We're finally being heard," he said.