Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention met for its national conference and the theme was “Stepping Out of the Darkness: Awareness, Attention, Action”.
Over 600 volunteers, experts and advocates joined together to learn from new research, share experiences and best practices, including new approaches in suicide prevention, all with the end goal of providing hope and saving lives.
Many of the organizations that attended operate on shoestring budgets. Many are driven by the goodwill of volunteers and patrons. It is a sad truth that if a person is at risk of suicide and is seeking help, the quality of the help they receive will depend on that person's postal code.
Canada's youth suicide rate is the third highest in the world. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among our young people. Among aboriginal and Inuit youth, the rate is five to seven times higher.
I thank all CASP members for the work they do, particularly their support in developing Bill C-300. I ask all hon. members to join me in saluting these heroes.