The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) has put out a suicide prevention strategy, and Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili thinks the province should follow suit.

The FSIN cites numbers from the Office of the Chief Coroner stating the the suicide rate among First Nations is 4.3 times as high as for non-First Nations people.

The Saskatchewan First Nations Suicide Prevention Strategy, put out by the FSIN on May 23, has 75 action items which fall into nine commitments. Those include having a focused and active approach to suicide prevention, supporting community-led action, building on cultural and community strengths, and reducing high rates of violence and child sexual abuse, amongst others.

"The suicide strategy put forth by the FSIN is really solid. It's based on a strategy in Nunavut that was very successful, but of course applied to the local context," said Meili. "That really applies to First Nations people. We'd like to see that sort of a suicide strategy spread out to the entire province."

Meili said the strategy is a good showing of leadership, and thinks it'll make a "real difference in the number of people who are committing or attempting suicide, or even just struggling with mental illness."