Dialogue summaries: preventing suicide in Canada

Abstract

The deliberation about the problem initially focused on the challenge of making suicide prevention a high priority public issue in Canada. Several dialogue participants suggested that the lack of political will at different levels of government and the lack of broader societal leadership contributes to this challenge. Dialogue participants identified several key features of the problem that also contributed to the challenge: 1) the complex nature of the problem; 2) the stigma associated with suicide; 3) the limited capacity to trigger meaningful societal transformation; 4) the fragmentation of efforts across the country; and 5) the lack of applied and community-driven research. On the other hand, several dialogue participants expressed cautious optimism about the priority being accorded to suicide prevention, citing the recent introduction of a bill in Canada's federal parliament calling for a federal suicide prevention framework, the Mental Health Commission of Canada's promotion of a national mental health strategy across the country, and the plan for creating a national collaborative on suicide prevention