Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her remarks and the obvious sensitivity that she shows on the issue.
What perhaps struck me most about her speech today was the reference to the over-representation of first nations, Inuit and Métis young people in suicide statistics. We know that suicide is the third leading cause of death among 29- to 49-year-olds generally and the second leading cause of death for the 10- to 24-year-old age group in the general population, but that the suicide rate for aboriginal youth is four to six times higher than that of non-aboriginal people.
Surely that should be a statistic that stops everyone dead in their tracks. Could there be a more revealing social indicator than the despair that must strike first nations, Inuit and Métis youth to take their own lives at such an alarming rate?
Other than people taking their lives due to mental illness, can she elaborate on the social conditions that may lead to the despair that young people feel in first nations, Inuit and Métis communities?