McG
Army.ca Legend
- Reaction score
- 3,061
- Points
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This appears to be a positive proposal.
I wonder if we would not benefit from having a CAF coroner office to take the work for which we currently convene a BOI.
... and more here by Murray Brewster: http://www.ipolitics.ca/2015/04/20/watchdog-says-families-still-deemed-outsiders-when-military-investigates-deaths/
I wonder if we would not benefit from having a CAF coroner office to take the work for which we currently convene a BOI.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/04/20/inquiries-into-deaths-of-soldiers-exclude-families-watchdog-says.htmlInquiries into deaths of soldiers exclude families, watchdog says
Ombudsman recommends coordinator be named to involve families in process
By: The Canadian Press
Toronto Star
20 Apr 2015
OTTAWA — The country’s military watchdog says the families of soldiers who die in the line of duty remain on the outside looking in when it comes to Defence Department investigations.
In a new report, Canadian Forces ombudsman Gary Walbourne recommends a family co-ordinator position be established to work with relatives and figure out how best to involve them in the complex board-of-inquiry process.
“The death or serious injury of a Canadian Armed Forces member is always a difficult event and none is more profoundly affected by it than the member’s family,” Walbourne said in a statement.
“These families need and deserve information, support and assistance to help them come to terms with the loss or injury.”
Inquiries frustrate families
The inquiries are technical investigations that look at the circumstances surrounding deaths, and whether military procedures or practices contributed to the tragedy.
But they are often a source of frustration and confusion for families, who complain about being kept in the dark and even accuse the military of using the inquiries as a way to cover up misdeeds.
The most high-profile example involves the public inquiry, recently concluded, into the 2008 suicide of Cpl. Stuart Langridge. During this, his parents were long denied a copy of the investigation report.
“We believe that families should be given the option of engagement throughout the board-of-inquiry process via a method of their choosing,” said Walbourne, who noted the military has instituted a series of organizational improvements and ended a backlog of dozens of investigations.
A process to involve families
Walbourne said there isn’t enough information to be able to decide how families should be included and a member of his staff will work with Defence Department for the next year to develop a process for family involvement.
Walbourne’s predecessors wrote extensively about the frustrations of families and their isolation from investigations.
An investigation in 2005 by the military ombudsman prompted retired general Rick Hillier to order a comprehensive review of the system. That produced a number of changes, including a directive to future inquiry chairs that they leave the topic of home life out of the mix when they look at suicides.
Despite that, the investigations into Langridge’s death blamed the troubled soldier for the tragedy and his biological parents, who divorced when he was five.
... and more here by Murray Brewster: http://www.ipolitics.ca/2015/04/20/watchdog-says-families-still-deemed-outsiders-when-military-investigates-deaths/