Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Suicide Policy in Canada: Lessons From History

  • Commentary
  • Published:
Canadian Journal of Public Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In Canada, suicide has transitioned from being a criminal activity with much associated stigma, to being a public health concern that needs to be managed by governments and clinicians in a culturally sensitive manner. In Canada and worldwide, the social attitudes toward and legal interpretation of suicide have been dynamic. Much has been proposed in the development of suicide policy in Canada, however Canada is unique in that it remains one of the only industrialized countries without a national suicide prevention strategy. The current article provides a critical review of the history of suicide in Canada, as well as an appraisal of Canadian suicide prevention policies and key government and political milestones that have impacted suicide policy. Current activity regarding a national suicide prevention strategy in Canada is discussed, as well as potential options for clinician involvement.

Résumé

Le suicide, qui était autrefois une activité criminelle à caractère infamant, est devenu au Canada un problème de santé publique qui doit être géré par les gouvernements et les cliniciens d’une manière adaptée aux différences culturelles. Au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde, on constate des changements dans les attitudes sociales face au suicide et dans les interprétations juridiques du suicide. Beaucoup de choses ont été proposées en vue d’élaborer une politique sur le suicide au Canada, mais le Canada est un cas particulier, car il demeure l’un des seuls pays industrialisés à ne pas avoir de stratégie nationale de prévention du suicide. Notre article fait l’examen critique de l’histoire du suicide au Canada et évalue les politiques canadiennes de prévention du suicide et les grands jalons gouvernementaux et politiques qui ont eu un impact. Nous présentons les efforts actuels pour mettre au point une stratégie nationale de prévention du suicide au Canada, ainsi que les moyens possibles pour les cliniciens de s’impliquer.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Canadian Association For Suicide Prevention. Facing the Facts: Suicide in Canada, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Smartrisk. The Economic Burden of Injury in Canada. Available at: https://doi.org/www.smartrisk.ca/downloads/burden/Canada2009/EBI-Eng-Final.pdf (Accessed August 1, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  3. World Health Organization. Mental Health: Country Reports and Charts Available. Available at: https://doi.org/www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/country_reports/en/ (Accessed May 30, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Statistics Canada. Age-standardized mortality rates by selected causes, by sex. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada, 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Conference Board of Canada. Suicides. How Canada Performs. Available at: https://doi.org/www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/society/suicides.aspx (Accessed June 1, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Skinner R, McFaull S. Suicide among children and adolescents in Canada: Trends and sex differences, 1980–2008. CMAJ 2012;184(9):1029–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Kirmayer L, Simpson C, Cargo M. Healing traditions: Culture, community and mental health promotion with Canadian Aboriginal peoples. Australasian Psych 2003;11(supplement):s15–s23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. World Health Organization. Mental Health: New Understanding, New Hope. Switzerland, Geneva: WHO, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kutcher SP, Szumilas M. Youth suicide prevention. CMAJ 2008;178(3):282–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Miljan L. Public Policy in Canada, 5th ed. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  11. MPs call for national suicide prevention strategy. Toronto Sun 2011. Available at: https://doi.org/www.torontosun.com/2011/10/04/mps-call-for-national-suicideprevention-strategy (Accessed November 20, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. The CASP Blueprint for Canadian National Suicide Prevention Strategy. 2nd Edition. Available at: https://doi.org/www.suicideprevention.ca/ (Accessed June 5, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Leenaars AA, Wenckstern S, Sakinofsky I, Dyck R, Kral M, Bland R. Suicide in Canada. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press Incorporated, 1998.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  14. Lalonde M. A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians. Ottawa: Government of Canada, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Sommer-Rotenberg D. Suicide and language. CMAJ 1998;159(3):239–40.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Health Canada. Suicide in Canada. Ottawa: Health Canada, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Health Canada. Suicide in Canada: Report of the National Task Force on Suicide in Canada. Ottawa, 1994. Available at: https://doi.org/www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/mhsm/pdf/suicid_e.pdf (Accessed November 1, 2010).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Government of Manitoba. Reclaiming Hope: Manitoba’s Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy. Available at: https://doi.org/www.gov.mb.ca/healthyliving/mh/hope.html (Accessed September 3, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Mental Health Commission of Canada. Knowledge Exchange Centre: Suicide Prevention Strategies in Canada. Available at: https://doi.org/kec.mentalhealthcommission.ca/communities_initiatives/ncsp/strategies (Accessed June 2, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  20. New Brunswick Health. Connecting to Life: Provincial Suicide Prevention Program. 2007. Available at: https://doi.org/www.gnb.ca/0055/pdf/4768ecompressed.pdf (Accessed June 1, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Government of Nunavut. Nunavut Suicide Prevention Strategy. Available at: https://doi.org/www.hss.gov.nu.ca/PDF/Suicide%20Prevention%20Strategy_final.pdf (Accessed June 1, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Government of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Strategic Framework to Address Suicide. Available at: https://doi.org/www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/publications/SuicideFramework.pdf (Accessed June 15, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Gouvernement du Québec. Help for Life: Quebec’s Strategy for Preventing Suicide. Available at: https://doi.org/www.publications.msss.gouv.qc.ca/acrobat/f/documentation/1997/97-237-a.pdf (Accessed June 15, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Alberta Mental Health Board. A Call to Action: The Alberta Suicide Prevention Strategy. Alberta Health Services, 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Library of Parliament. The Crown’s Fiduciary Relationship with Aboriginal Peoples. Ottawa: Government of Canada, 2002. Available at: https://doi.org/www.parl.gc.ca/content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0009-e.pdf (Accessed February 20, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Parliament of Canada. Suicide Among Aboriginal People: Royal Commission Report. Ottawa: Parliament of Canada, 1995. Available at: https://doi.org/www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/researchpublications/mr131-e.htm (Accessed November 5, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Health Canada. Acting on What We Know: Preventing Youth Suicide in First Nations: The Report of the Advisory Group on Suicide Prevention. Available at: https://doi.org/www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/alt_formats/fnihb-dgspni/pdf/pubs/suicide/prev_youth-jeunes-eng.pdf (Accessed September 1, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. CAP Health Policy Program: National Aboriginal Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy (2005-2010). Available at: https://doi.org/www.abo-peoples.org/programs/health_SuicidePS.html (Accessed September 20, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Senate of Canada. Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. Ottawa, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Parliament of Canada. Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction: Issues and Options for Canada. Interim Report of The Standing Senate Committee On Social Affairs, Science And Technology. Ottawa: Parliament of Canada, 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Mental Health Commission of Canada. Opening Minds. Available at: https://doi.org/www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/Pages/OpeningMinds.aspx (Accessed March 4, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Neuwel B. Mental Health Strategy Update. Paper presented at Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Vancouver, BC, 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Links PS. The role of physicians in advocating for a national strategy for suicide prevention. CMAJ 2011;183(17):1987–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Australian Government. Living Is For Everyone Framework. Department of Health and Ageing, Australia, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  35. While D, Bickley H, Roscoe A, Windfuhr K, Rahman S, Shaw J, et al. Implementation of mental health service recommendations in England and Wales and suicide rates, 1997-2006: A cross-sectional and before-and-after observational study. Lancet 2012;379(9820):1005–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Liberal Party. A first step toward a national suicide prevention strategy. Available at: https://doi.org/www.liberal.ca/ (Accessed October 7, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  37. New Democratic Party. NDP launches bill to create national suicide prevention strategy. Available at: https://doi.org/www.ndp.ca/press/ndp-launches-bill-tocreate- national-suicide-prevention-strategy (Accessed March 3, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Martens P, Fransoo R, The Need to Know Team, Burland E, Prior H, Burchill C, et al. What Works? A First Look at Evaluating Manitoba’s Regional Health Programs and Policies at the Population Level. Winnipeg: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Nepon J, Belik SL, Bolton J, Sareen J. The relationship between anxiety disorders and suicide attempts: Findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Depress Anxiety 2010;27(9):791–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. CASP’s Purpose and function. Available at: https://doi.org/www.casp-acps.ca/about.asp (Accessed October 17, 2010).

    Google Scholar 

  41. Senate of Canada. Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. Charlottetown, PEI, 2005. Available at: https://doi.org/www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/381/soci/07eve.htm?comm_id=47.&Language=E&Parl=38&Ses=1 (Accessed February 1, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  42. Jefferies D, Johnson M, Griffiths R, Arthurs K, Beard D, Chen T, et al. Engaging clinicians in evidence based policy development: The case of nursing documentation. Contemp Nurse 2010;35(2):254–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Shear MK, Simon N, Wall M, Zisook S, Neimeyer R, Duan N, et al. Complicated grief and related bereavement issues for DSM-5. Depress Anxiety 2011;28(2):103–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, PZ-432 771 Bannatyne Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3N4, Canada

    Rae Spiwak MSc, James M. Bolton MD &  Jitender Sareen MD

  2. Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Rae Spiwak MSc, Brenda Elias PhD, Patricia J. Martens PhD &  Jitender Sareen MD

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    James M. Bolton MD &  Jitender Sareen MD

Authors
  1. Rae Spiwak MSc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Brenda Elias PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James M. Bolton MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Patricia J. Martens PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jitender Sareen MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jitender Sareen MD.

Additional information

Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge Stephanie Loewen for her help in providing information on Manitoba’s Suicide Prevention Initiatives, as well as Dr. Leslie Carrothers for his guidance in health policy. Preparation of this article was supported by research grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Dr. Bolton #102682) and Manitoba Health Research Council (Dr. Bolton), a Manitoba Health Research Council Chair Award (Dr. Sareen), a CIHR/PHAC Applied Public Health Chair Award (Dr. Martens), a SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Doctoral Scholarship (Ms. Spiwak), and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award (Dr. Bolton #113589; Dr. Elias # 80503).

Conflict of Interest: None to declare.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Spiwak, R., Elias, B., Bolton, J.M. et al. Suicide Policy in Canada: Lessons From History. Can J Public Health 103, e338–e341 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404437

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404437

Key words

Mots clés

Search

Navigation