I'd like to move that Bill C-77 be amended by adding after line 10 on page 11 the following new clause:
7.1 Paragraph 98(c) of the Act is repealed.
We have heard testimony from families of those who have lost loved ones to death by suicide within the Canadian military. We continue, despite some very good actions on the part of the military and its suicide prevention strategy, to lose one member of the Canadian Forces per month.
One of the things the suicide prevention strategy sought to do was to remove barriers to seeking treatment. In my discussions with the family, and the testimony we heard in particular from the Fynes family, making self-harm a disciplinary offence in the military code of conduct has an impact on the psychology of those who are suffering from mental illness in the sense that it sends a message to them that even though this has not been used recently with any frequency, they risk the loss of their military career if they seek help.
We certainly had the example of Corporal Stuart Langridge, who twice attempted suicide before the third attempt was successful—it's a strange word. He died by suicide. Even though we did hear testimony again about the lack of frequency with what's used, it's very presence in the code of conduct, to which people are trained, creates this idea that self-harm is in fact a disciplinary problem rather than a mental illness.
What we heard also as testimony is that taking this paragraph out does not take away the powers the military needs to maintain discipline and order within the military, because paragraphs 98(a) and (b), which deal with malingering and exaggerating illnesses, would remain in that code of conduct. Any of the other situations people can imagine with self-harm are covered by other points in the code of conduct.
We have very few opportunities to amend the military code of conduct. Parliament was tasked in the last Parliament with Bill C-15, and Bill C-77 completes that task of reforming the military justice system, a very large and broad review of the system. It's taken over 15 years to come to this point.
If we do not use this opportunity to amend the bill as I'm suggesting, there will be no opportunity for the foreseeable future—and by that I'm talking about within the next two, three or four years—to actually remove this from the code of conduct.
I think there is urgency. I would cite again the testimony of Ms. Fynes, that if this removal causes only one person to seek help or prevents one death, then this is timely and worth doing.
I would urge the committee to take this opportunity to take a step towards getting better treatment for those who suffer from mental health issues that result in self-harm.