OTTAWA– Liberal Defence critic John McKay made the following statement today on the report issued by the Canadian Forces’ ombudsman on mental health services in the military:
“While the Conservatives like to use our soldiers as backdrops for photos and events, they continue to ignore calls to address the glaring shortages in mental health services in the military.
Canadian Forces’ ombudsman Pierre Daigle recently called attention to the lack of resources available to adequately care for Forces members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental injuries. Mr. Daigle noted that personnel levels are almost 25% below what is needed.
This is not new information to the government. They were informed of these challenges in the ombudsman’s 2008 report and have yet to institute all of the report’s recommendations.
It is time that this government stop ignoring the severity of this problem, treat our wounded military men and women with the respect they deserve and take the necessary action to implement all of the ombudsman’s recommendations as soon as possible.”
Liberal