Age-specific suicide rates for youth between 15-19 years & rates by methods of suicide were calculated based on data from Statistics Canada between 1979-1999 to examine the trend in youth suicide & association with changes in the firearms act in 1991. The overall rates did not change from 1979-1999 in the youth however; there was a substantial change in the methods used. The rates of suicide by firearms dropped from 60% to 22% while death by suicide due to hanging/suffocation increased from 20% to 60% in this age group over this period of time. (LC) (21 refs)