An Ontario woman says 鈥渨ounds have been reopened鈥� after the government sent her a one-cent cheque for her son, a soldier who died of suicide in 2011.
Flanked by her husband and Hamilton East-Stoney Creek MP Wayne Marston, Denise Stark spoke with reporters Thursday, days after receiving the cheque from Public Works.
The cheque, which was dated Feb. 28 and labelled as 鈥渞elease pay鈥� was made out to Stark鈥檚 son, Cpl. Justin Stark, who served as a reservist with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada. The 22-year-old died of suicide in October 2011, almost a year after completing a seven-month tour of Afghanistan.
Reading from a prepared statement, Denise Stark said she has accepted an apology from Defence Minister Rob Nicholson, who phoned her Thursday morning, but explained to him that the incident has caused her family renewed pain.
鈥淚 thanked Mr. Nicholson for his formal apology, and I explained how our wounds had been reopened since receiving the cheque. He acknowledged how insensitive it was, and agreed to look into this.鈥�
Stark said her son鈥檚 estate has 鈥渓ong been finalized鈥� and that she had no reason to expect financial compensation from the military when the cheque arrived.
Nicholson has blamed the incident on an 鈥渋nsensitive bureaucratic screw-up,鈥� and on Wednesday vowed in the House of Commons to take steps to ensure that such an error is never repeated.
Stark said she told the minister she didn鈥檛 believe it was an intentional act.
鈥淗owever, I would like to know that something positive can come from it, and another family does not have to go through this,鈥� she said.
Nicholson, she said, has also agreed to 鈥渇ollow through鈥� on her concern that her son鈥檚 death is not being recognized as military-related.
She said her family is 鈥渄issatisfied at the (Board of Inquiry鈥檚) confident conclusion that Justin鈥檚 tour in Afghanistan did not cause him trauma.鈥�
Marston said in question period on Tuesday that Denise Stark attended 鈥渆ndless tribunals while the military decided whether or not his death was work related.鈥�
He said after all she has gone through the cheque incident is 鈥渋nexcusable.鈥�
It is still not clear why the cheque was issued in the first place, but Marston said Thursday there should be a proper system in place to flag a file like Stark's, "and ensure that this doesn鈥檛 happen again."
Military needs uniformed clinical psychologists: expert
The federal government has come under fire from veterans and veterans鈥� advocates for their response to a rash of recent soldier and veteran suicides.
New internal documents dated April 2013 note that there are 鈥渘o uniformed clinical psychologists鈥� to help soldiers returning from combat zones.
The documents say creating the positions 鈥渨ould greatly enhance the mental health care of CAF members.鈥�
Uniformed psychologists from allied countries have been brought in to help soldiers, according to the documents, however the practice has posed 鈥渃ultural and linguistic challenges.鈥�
The military has more than 60 civilian psychologists, but one expert says soldiers typically feel more comfortable opening up to other soldiers.
鈥淲hen members are looking for someone they can trust, someone in uniform, someone that they can reach out and speak to, if that asset is not there serious consequences happen,鈥� Michael Blais, founder of the Canadian Veterans Advocacy, told 麻豆传媒.
With a report from CTV鈥檚 Richard Madan
