More being spent, but are needs being met?

“Canada loses another son to PTSD” read a Facebook post following the suicide of retired sergeant Ronald Anderson in late February. The father of four had served seven tours of duty overseas, two of them in Afghanistan, but faced a different battle when he returned home. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), trained for the foreign battlefield, have long been fighting their own battles with mental health. But a recent spate of suicides within the military has shone a light on these dark, often solitary battles. Since November, upwards of 10 soldiers and veterans have taken their own lives. Former chief of defence staff Rick Hillier has labelled the situation a “crisis.” The Harper government’s response to these tragedies has been to tout increases in funding for CAF health care—approximately $420-million at Defence Minister Rob Nicholson’s latest count. These investments are vital. But the minister is missing the point. It’s not enough to increase funding; the government must listen to what soldiers and veterans actually need. Undoubtedly, addressing the needs of soldiers with severe mental injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression is extremely complex. No two cases are the same. But there is a common thread: a loss of hope among these men and women in uniform. More must be done. More mental health support, more answers from boards of inquiry, and more flexible policies within the CAF will give soldiers and veterans more hope for the future. It is no coincidence that mental illness has come to the forefront of discussions about the CAF in the aftermath of Afghanistan. A study released in 2013 found that among 30,000 Canadian service personnel surveyed that had been deployed to Afghanistan between 2001 and 2008, approximately 20 per cent were diagnosed with a mental disorder attributable to their service. Moreover, suicide accounts for nearly 27 per cent of deaths among male members of the CAF (and 14 per cent of female members), according to a recent study from Statistics Canada. CAF officials are quick to tell us that military suicides are lower than the national average. But that number belies the fact that the CAF only tracks the suicides of male regular force personnel. Women, reserve forces, and veterans are all left out of this count. Anderson, 11 months out of the service, will not be counted in these statistics. In fact, the percentage of veterans’ deaths caused by suicide is 45 per cent higher than the general population. Expanding the statistical records on suicide would fill a gaping hole in our understanding of the extent of these tragedies. The leader of the official opposition, Tom Mulcair, has appealed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper to make dealing with these tragedies a personal priority. The Prime Minister could start by ensuring tracking of veterans once they leave the service, and by increasing the number of mental health workers supporting the CAF. Before Canada’s significant military engagement in Afghanistan, the government pegged the number of necessary mental health workers for the CAF at 447. This benchmark was based on a 2002 Statistics Canada report for the military. Given that Afghanistan became our largest military operations since the Second World War, one would expect that number to be raised. Instead, it’s never been met. Not even close. In fact, watchdogs such as the military ombudsman warned more than a year ago that there was a 15 to 22 percent shortage of mental health staff to support the CAF. That shortage persists. Even more worryingly, recent reports demonstrate that a hiring freeze stymied the hiring of mental health workers, many of whom the government pledged to hire some 18 months ago. In addition, military boards of inquiry are intended to investigate sudden deaths within the CAF, and lay out lessons learned for future prevention. Although internal to the military, these investigations are crucial for mental health prevention efforts, and help to provide some element of closure for families. There are currently 75 outstanding BOIs—some of which have been ongoing for five years. Defence Minister Robert Nicholson has made their completion a priority; we will be watching to make sure he sees this through. In recent months, we have heard desperate appeals from injured soldiers wanting to remain in the CAF, or worried that they would be discharged before reaching the 10 years required for a pension. But many are being shown the door due to a policy known as universality of service, which requires that all those in uniform be fit for deployment. The military ombudsman warned in February that this policy is discouraging injured soldiers from seeking help. He noted that only five to 10 per cent of those transferred to integrated personnel support units return to their units. The chief of military personnel argues that it’s closer to 23 per cent. Either way, one step towards restoring hope would be to change the universality of service policy. More mental health workers, improved access to services, better post-deployment tracking of CAF members and veterans, and changes in policy are all needed to bolster the health and wellbeing—and sometimes save the lives—of our dedicated soldiers, sailors and airmen and women. NDP MP Jack Harris, who represents St. John’s East, Nfld., is his party’s defence critic. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

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More being spent, but are needs being met?

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