In light of a number of a recent suicides in Sanikiluaq, Hudson Bay MLA Daniel Qavvik recited a poem during his member’s statement at the Nunavut Legislature on March 6, urging youth across Nunavut to think about their loved ones before committing suicide.
“Another young person has died, how many will weep and cry, that’s the 10th one this week,” said Qavvik. “So stop and think, will your momma cry? Many wonder in their wandering mind, what is going on in their young mind.
“As your father buries you, will he drop to his knees and whisper, why? A cry out for help, what is going on among our young.
“A cry out for help, this has got to stop, so we can move on, you ever wonder what will happen if you try?
“Stop and think, your grandma who loves you will feel like slowly dying. Your grandpa, who taught you so much, will walk around wondering, what did I do wrong?
“Your friend who walked beside you will wonder, if only I had been there will you still be here. Your partner cries and will yell out why, plays the same music within you still held to her dear, thinks about suicide. Dark thoughts enter the mind.
“Stop and think, will that change or bring her home, will that change and bring him home?
“Stop and think, you’re now just a picture on the wall. Stop and think, your father will still whisper, why?
“Stop and think, your mother will still cry.”