Over the past five years, suicide rates in Nunavik have continued to rise compared to the rest of Quebec, according to Eye on the Arctic.

“Difficulties in accessing specialized care and services, challenges in recruiting and retaining human resources, ongoing impacts of recent colonization, socio-economic difficulties, culturally and linguistically unadapted practices are some of the factors that may explain Nunavik’s rates […]”,2021 and 2022 reports say.

Because its population is relatively small (about 13,000), the effects are amplified when scaled to 100,000 for provincial comparison. Nevertheless the figures translate into 177.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Nunavik, an average that is out of line with the provincial rate of 13.1 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the latest data published Monday by the Institut de la santé publique du Québec (INSPQ).

“We recognize that the pandemic is having a profound impact on mental wellbeing in Indigenous communities by amplifying existing problems and inequalities (…)”, says Megan MacLean, spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada.