Thank you.
I would like to begin by thanking the committee for inviting me to testify this afternoon on the issue of health care services to Canadian Forces personnel, and in particular issues surrounding post-traumatic stress disorder.
It is a pleasure and an honor to be here today as the National Defence and Canadian Forces Interim Ombudsman. I have been following your work with great interest over the past few months.
Our work at the Office of the Ombudsman during the past six years has allowed us to see clearly that the post-traumatic stress syndrome affects a very high number of members of the Canadian Forces. Furthermore, it has very serious consequences for the families of those members in many cases.
Since 2002, our office has invested a great deal of time and effort in examining the problems associated with PTSD. Over the next few minutes, I will highlight some of the key findings from our original report, as well as the progress that has been made by the department and the Canadian Forces. I will also underscore some of the areas where we feel improvement is still required.
Our original investigation was conducted in 2002. It included some 200 individual interviews with CF members suffering from PTSD, their families, and members of the chain of command. The investigation produced 31 recommendations aimed at strengthening Canadian Forces leadership and improving the day-to-day lives of PTSD sufferers. The recommendations were designed to ensure proper diagnosis, improved education and training, tracking and treatment of those suffering from PTSD, as well as assistance for sufferers reintegrating into their home environments. These recommendations were the subject of a follow-up report nine months after the release of the original report. In that follow-up report, the office of the ombudsman made a commitment to continue to monitor the matter.
We are now finalizing our re-examination of the original series of recommendations. We are also looking at developing new recommendations designed to take into consideration the current operational reality of the Canadian Forces. This means that we are looking at all forms of operational stress injuries, including PTSD.
It is clear from our most recent review that the CF has made progress over the last few years in the way it approaches operational stress injuries, that is, in the way in which it attempts to prevent these injuries and to identify and treat those individuals with them. Unfortunately, it is also clear that the stigma associated with operational stress injuries is still pervasive at some individual military bases and among some units and that a real cultural problem still exists in some parts of Canada.
We have also found that what is missing is a function of general governance as well as strategic coordination relating to operational stress injuries.
Services are being delivered at a local level and on an ad hoc basis.
This has to change. No member of the Canadian Forces should be left aside because of a lack of coordination or because of ineffective management in the Forces.
Operational stress injuries also profoundly affect families. The stress of caring for and coping with a CF member suffering from PTSD can take its toll on a spouse and the family. Although we have seen progress for those in uniform suffering from operational stress injuries, the Canadian Forces have not done nearly enough to help the families of operational stress injury sufferers.
Adequate services are simply not available for the family members who may need help in dealing with their very difficult circumstances. Many sufferers of operational stress injuries, including those suffering from PTSD, are concerned about the effect their illness has on those around them and want to ensure that their families are cared for. As it stands, there is no coordinated national approach that ensures timely local access to services for family members.
Family members should be treated with compassion and understanding. They should be able to get services easily for the affected member or for themselves, wherever they live. Operational realities have changed a lot in the Canadian Forces since our initial investigation of 2002. Even though we are pleased to see that progress has been made in some areas, there is more work to do, and that work is important. The Canadian Forces should continue to move forward with the implementation of our recommendations and of those of other agencies dealing with this matter.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.