Today is World Suicide Prevention Day.
Justice Murray Sinclair pointed that out today during Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in North Battleford.
Sinclair said young Aboriginal people have much higher suicide rates than other Canadians.
He said that is partly due to residential schools which robbed Aboriginal people of their history and culture.
But Sinclair said there is hope and efforts are being made to re-teach those things:
“There is no reason not to have hope in the future. There is no reason not to think about your life and the future in a positive way.”
The TRC hearings continue tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s agenda includes a birthday party for residential school survivors, who organizers say never had their birthdays celebrated while in residential schools.