Why Quebec’s Cree are thriving while misery reigns across James Bay

The epidemic of youth suicide attempts in Attawapiskat was the focus of a new National Post article.

The article notes that the plight of Attawapiskat contrasts with that of the Quebec Cree across James Bay, where an effective aboriginal governance system is in place.

In a 2008 paper on aboriginal youth suicide, UBC psychologists Michael Chandler and Christopher Lalonde found that suicide rates were markedly lower among bands that had preserved their culture and self-government.

Similar articles appeared in the Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, Regina Leader Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Sun and The Province.