200 Canadian citizens held a demonstration in Ottawa calling for the government to take action to stop the rising numbers in the suicide cases in the community, specially the younger lot.

National Inuit leader Mary Simon said that Canada was one of the few countries that do not have a national suicide prevention strategy yet.

The rate of suicides is 11 times higher than in other communities among the Inuits.

A study conducted in 2001 by the health ministry found that 135 out of every 100,000 Inuits commit suicide compared to 12 per 100,000 for the general population. 83 percent of all Inuit suicides are carried out by people below the age of 30.

Simon called on all fellow Inuits to seek support and strength within their community and from each other's families thereby removing every trace of mental illness.

She said, "Suicide prevention is about supporting the development of coping skills and resiliency, and it's about reconnecting to our culture, our families, our communities, and ourselves, i want to shatter the stigma on mental illness and make sure everybody knows it's okay to talk about it, to get help, and to embrace life."