Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and committee members, for the opportunity to address this critical issue for Canadians. Michael Kirby, who is the driving force behind this effort, sends his best wishes and his thanks for hearing this issue.
You probably already know the statistics. We talk about suicide among young Canadians. It's the second leading cause of mortality among 15 to 24-year-olds. It accounts for more deaths than all cancers combined—probably three times more than all cancers combined—during this age period. If we're talking about our first nations communities, there are at least four times as many deaths by suicide in many of our first nations and inuit communities across the country.
The cost of one death by suicide in this age group is projected to be $1.5 million over a lifetime in lost productivity. That does not count the incredible cost to families, to communities, to schools, which are dealing with this issue on an ongoing basis, usually for years after an event. The cost of human suffering is actually measurable.
In terms of the number of young people who experience this problem, 8% of young people tell us they have actually tried to kill themselves. About 25% tell us they've had serious recurring thoughts of killing themselves. This is not a very isolated event; it is an event that occurs again and again, day in and day out.
This week I received a call from a community in Ontario where they've had two deaths in the last two weeks. Two more young people hospitalized with severe attempts will add major costs to our health care system for probably years to come.
It's really a symptom of a sector that is not meeting the needs of our children. You have a mental health sector that is probably dysfunctional in many respects. If we're going to be doing something transformational around preventing suicide, probably the biggest impact is to begin with children and youth.
We have an opportunity to make some significant change with you. We are proposing a $100-million national youth suicide prevention fund to take what we already know from evidence, apply it in Canadian contexts, and measure it as applied in 25 communities across Canada to demonstrate how we can have evidenced-informed decision-making for real change in preventing death by suicide, particularly among our young people.
That's a very bold request. The reality is that Canadians are tired of reading in the newspaper every day about one more young person whose life has been lost to suicide. They don't want talk; they want action. Young people deserve something bold, and they need to know that we are thinking about them and their lives at this time.
The proposal itself is built on what we know from evidence particularly in Europe, where they've had a whole community approach to youth suicide prevention, with significant impact. Partners have brought together experts from across Canada in youth suicide prevention to take this evidence, apply it in context, but also add elements that can enhance what we've seen happen in Europe.
The rates of decreased suicide and suicide behaviour in Europe have been estimated at approximately 24%. We have more than 500 young people dying by suicide every year. If we can eliminate 24%, that's 120 lives that have been changed, 120 families who live a different course, 120 schools that don't have to suffer for years and years to come because of the loss of experience.
Among the key components of this plan, one is building capacity in primary care, both in terms of identification but also pathways to care. Another is media and public awareness: what does everyone need to know in terms of identification of those at risk and getting the right level of help at the right time. Another is community training so that teachers, family doctors, community members, peers know what to look for, but also know how to bridge young people to the appropriate service at the right time. Another is targeted supports for those young people who are at risk because of their mental health status, homeless status, or their living arrangement. We know that in rural Canada, for example, the rates of suicide are higher. We can discuss at length why that might be.
Finally, a key component added in the Canadian model is meaningful youth engagement. There's ample evidence to suggest that meaningfully engaged youth are healthier physically and emotionally, engage in less risk-taking behaviour, and are less likely to think about and act on their suicidal thoughts.
We know the timing is right, now, because philanthropy has told us that they are prepared to participate in this. We've had several national organizations that have looked at this proposal and think it is the way to go because it is respectful of the reality of individual communities.
We know that provincial governments.... Michael Kirby has spoken to every provincial government, many of which are poised now to participate in this. The model is one that includes leveraging, whereby the fund would be matched by provincial funds, philanthropy, and business. Many of those partnerships have already been established. Letters of support have come from across Canada.
In closing, I want to say that I've been a psychologist for 30 years working in mental health. I get mad when one more young person dies by suicide, because we should have been able to identify that they were suffering in silence. We should have been able to do something for them before they chose to take their life as the only solution to their problems.
Thank you very much.