Madam Chair, MP Richards and members of the committee, thank you for being here today.
My name is Aaron Dale. I'm a constable with Toronto police. Prior to that, I served 16 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, in the reserves and in special operations. In 2018, my transition out of the military was much harder than I expected. The military culture teaches a person to endure pain, never quit and put a team first. These traits keep you alive in service, but they can become barriers when you're actually seeking help for yourself afterward.
I didn't recognize that I needed help until a close friend told me so. When I finally reached out, Veterans Affairs Canada, the Legion and peer support all played a critical role in my recovery.
As a new police officer, I began recognizing military veterans in Toronto who were suicidal, homeless and in crisis. Together, Constable Jeremy Burns and I built the military veterans wellness program. This is a community policing initiative that unites key stakeholders, such as VAC, the Legion, DND, OPP, RCMP, PHNX PSYCH, Mediatwist, DGMPRA and many others—all to support veterans in crisis.
We developed specialized training that teaches first responders how to identify a veteran, understand their service-related challenges, recognize the signs of suicide and crisis, build an empathetic connection to safely de-escalate a veteran, influence a veteran to actually accept help in that critical moment and then connect them directly to the services of VAC, the Legion and OSISS.
These services already exist and they're very good, but for a veteran who is struggling, it can be very difficult to ask for help and navigate the support or actually trust the institutions after service. That's why this program exists: We train first responders to break down these barriers through compassion, negotiation and influence. First responders are uniquely positioned to be the conduit between a veteran in crisis and the organizations that can actually save their lives. They actually saved mine.
This program grew quickly because Canadians want to help and Canadians want to help veterans. As of today, we've trained about 22,000 first responders across 150 different agencies. The veteran in crisis referral form has been adopted by several police services. The RCMP is using it to actually support police veterans who are also struggling. More importantly, this program has successfully de-escalated and referred approximately 250 military veterans directly to VAC, the Legion and OSISS, which then reach out to offer all their supports. These outcomes are not theoretical; they are lived, practical, proven and repeatable.
My recommendations to this committee are pretty straightforward.
First we are requesting government leadership and support to ensure that every paramedic, firefighter, correctional officer and police officer has the skills to recognize a veteran in crisis, connect with compassion, de-escalate and then provide a voluntary, on-the-spot referral so they can receive immediate support. Currently, only police officers can make this voluntary referral, but expanding this to all first responders is a low-cost, proven and nationally scalable solution that has already been saving lives.
Second, our national 988 suicide line should have a veteran-only option. This would allow a veteran to be immediately connected to a crisis worker who understands them, understands their culture and understands the supports available.
Third, we are seeking federal support to adapt and deliver this program to all health care providers in Canada. In partnership with CIMVHR, and other national stakeholders, we have already set the stage to create a certified curriculum that equips all health care professionals to recognize veterans, understand their service-related issues and address their complex medical needs.
Each of these recommendations is very realistic and affordable and closes the gaps in our system for the highest risk of suicide. We already know the cost of inaction. In the United States, most veterans who kill themselves are not connected to care and we cannot allow this to happen here. This program is already being adapted internationally in the United States, Australia and Ukraine and for global policing networks, such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as all 196 Interpol countries.
With federal support, Canada can help shape NATO's and the United Nations' standard for post-conflict veteran care while also ensuring that we remain committed to learning from the success and lessons of all of our international partners.
Supporting veterans is not just a social responsibility; it's actually a strategic investment in Canada's national defence and the operational readiness of our allies. It tells every Canadian war fighter—past, present and future—that Canada will stand with them after their service ends.
We ask our service members to risk their lives, and we will continue to do that. In return, we must ensure that no veteran falls through the cracks and that those living with service-related trauma receive the highest standard of care without hesitation and without fail.
The decisions you make here in this study will save lives: veterans' lives, first responders' lives and Canadians' lives, people who are all struggling with suicidal ideation.
Thank you for listening, and thank you to the Toronto Police Service and our entire team back at home who made this possible.