OTTAWA -- The new Liberal government's pledge to commemorate troops who've died by suicide could face an uphill battle against a military culture that views taking one's own life as dishonourable and a sign of weakness, say advocates who've dealt with the system.
Sheila Fynes, whose son Cpl. Stuart Langridge died by his own hand in 2008, says she's been made cautiously optimistic by the promise, but the stigma associated with mental illness, which can lead to suicide, is still very much a part of the military mindset.
"They really need to follow through with some very substantive changes in attitude," Fynes said in an interview from Victoria, B.C.
The military's handling of Langridge's suicide following service in Afghanistan was the subject of an exhaustive inquiry by the Military Police Complaints Commission, which found investigators botched the case. A day after the watchdog released its findings last March, National Defence showed Fynes and her husband a censored copy of the military investigation into the death.
The report essentially blamed Langridge for his own death by saying "he couldn't bring himself to shake his addictions and failed to demonstrate that he was ready for the commitment and responsibility" of returning to duty as a soldier.
Fynes says the reflex of the military is to view a soldier's suicide as some sort of systemic breakdown, which the institution is loath to acknowledge.
"They see it as their failure and maybe they picked the wrong guy," she said and added that a step forward for the new government would be to erect a national memorial to all of the soldiers who died as a result of the Afghan war -- one with all names on it.
"There are no memorials for soldiers who've taken their own lives -- or plaques in the museum. There's nothing. It's like they didn't exist."
Acknowledging suicide victims would also require subtle but significant changes in national symbols, such as the books of remembrance in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.
"There needs to be a memorial," Fynes said. "You can't just let these soldiers die, sweep it under the carpet and expect families are just going to pick up and feel good about themselves."
Suicide is -- especially in the military -- a very "touchy, uncomfortable subject" that is occasionally dealt with by silence, said retired corporal Glen Kirkland.
A memorial is a good idea, he says, but Kirkland would like to see much more emphasis placed on suicide prevention.
The new veterans minister, Kent Hehr, said Thursday that both he and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan are determined to press ahead and they will treat all soldiers with compassion.
"We are treating veterans with care, dignity and respect and we are honouring their service as part of our community," said Hehr, who pledged to consult veterans groups about the appropriate means of recognition.
"We understand when suicides happen -- not only to military and veterans -- the incidents are of grave concern. We do our best to help support people through this."
Fynes says a friend of her son recently committed suicide. Since the fall of 2013, there has been a mounting death toll and Sajjan recently ordered the country's top military commander to make suicide prevention a priority and examine why these tragedies keep happening.
On the eve of Remembrance Day, National Defence released a report showing deployments may be a risk factor for suicide. It also linked trauma and mental illness with the Afghan war.
The finding is startling because, as recently as last spring, the military was insisting there was no relationship between overseas service and increased suicide risk.
