Corey O’Soup. Photo by Manfred Joehnck
Saskatchewan’s new children’s advocate is tasked with the daunting assignment of dealing with a suicide crisis in the north.
His first day on the job was yesterday, but by the end of the week, he expects to be in La Ronge, where two young girls from the Lac La Ronge Indian band took their own lives.
They are among six Indigenous girls, ranging in age from 10 to 14, who have committed suicide over the past four weeks in the province’s north.
Corey O’Soup is no stranger to crisis. He led the provincial government’s response following the mass shooting in La Loche in January where four people were murdered and seven others were wounded.
He says a coordinated approach is needed, but the solution has to come from within.
“We can’t come up there with solutions from Regina or Saskatoon,” he said. “The community has to lead the discussions, the community has to be the ones that create those solutions and we have to be there every step of the way.”
O’Soup is the father of five. He comes from the Key First Nation, north of Yorkton and has seen firsthand some of the challenges facing Aboriginal youth.
“So, I am really hoping that by sharing my experiences, including my experiences as a teacher — working with other vulnerable children, will open a lot of doors and we will be able to start the discussion in a different way, through trust and relationships.” he said.
Crisis teams have already been deployed to the communities affected, which include La Ronge, Deschambault Lake, Stanley Mission and the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation near Loon Lake.
“The crisis has the undivided attention of northern leaders, health regions and the provincial government,” said Premier Brad Wall.
First Nations leaders and tribal councils have also come together to help deal with the situation.