Good afternoon. My name is Linda Lagimonière and I am the mother of Private Frédéric Couture. Frédéric had an accident on December 16, 2006. He stepped on a mine. He was then sent home. The army looked after that. I have to say that, when he came back, it was quite the scene. There were soldiers everywhere. They took Frédéric to the Montreal General Hospital, not to Quebec City. That was a first for the army. Frédéric then spent eight months at home. On November 14, 2007, Frédéric committed suicide. He died in my arms. That is very hard, I can tell you.
A little less than a year later, a commission of inquiry was held. That is when I found out that Frédéric had tried to kill himself over there. The army never told us that. We also found out that he had never received any psychological help, except for a 15-minute session with a 20-year-old psychologist who was just starting out in the profession. Physically, Frédéric received the best care possible. Psychologically, he received none.