Veterans ombudsman refocuses review after Nova Scotia tragedy

Canada's veterans ombudsman says the gap between the federal government and the provinces when it comes to delivering services to troubled ex-soldiers in rural areas deserves more examination.

The remarks from Guy Parent come in the wake of last week's apparent triple murder and suicide in northern Nova Scotia involving a veteran of the Afghan war who was struggling with mental illness.

Veterans Affairs and the RCMP have been less than forthcoming about the circumstances that led retired corporal Lionel Desmond, 33, to kill his 31-year-old wife, Shanna, his 52-year-old mother, Brenda, and his 10-year-old daughter, Aaliyah.

It is a tragedy that forces us to look at the overall mental health strategy.- Guy Parent, veterans ombudsman

His family has said he "succumbed to the tortures" of post traumatic stress disorder following his service in Afghanistan in 2007.

They have also said that Desmond was turned away when he tried to check himself into St. Martha's Regional Hospital in Antigonish, N.S., located a short drive from his home in Upper Big Tracadie.

But Dr. Minoli Amit, a senior official at the hospital, has denied the claim, saying staff routinely work through bed shortages to provide care to anyone seeking help.

Lionel Desmond's sister says he went to hospital for help the day before apparent murder-suicide

8 years ago

Duration 1:07

Cassandra Desmond says her brother, an Afghanistan veteran, went to a hospital for mental health help the day before he was found dead along with his wife, daughter and mother in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S.

Discrepancies probed

Nonetheless, Parent said he is aware of discrepancies and uneven levels of service across the country.

Soldiers are able to access medical care within the military while still in uniform, but they are at the mercy of provincial health care systems once they are out, and service levels vary.

"It is a tragedy that forces us to look at the overall mental health strategy," Parent told CBC News. He said he intends to refocus an ongoing review of long-term care for veterans towards mental health, an assessment that could see him tap into existing relationships with provincial ombudsmen.

Parent said tough questions need to be asked about how much local and regional hospitals know about the complex federal support system that's been set up to serve both existing military members and veterans.

Veterans Affairs, in co-operation with several provincial health departments, has established 11 Operational Stress Injury Clinics across the country, most of which offer outpatient services, and has poured tens of millions of dollars into treatment programs.

In 2009, the former Conservative government opened a 10-bed inpatient facility for veterans at Ste. Anne's Hospital in Montreal.

In conjunction with the veterans department, National Defence has a network of 30 mental health clinics and seven Operational Trauma and Stress Support Centres, which vary in size.

Whether the federal government should be funding more inpatient mental health centres for veterans is an issue that has been repeatedly raised before parliamentary committees.

Secret reviews

Both Veterans Affairs and the military have conducted separate reviews of how they handled Lionel Desmond's case, according to a number of federal sources.

But, citing privacy, they refuse to discuss the findings, or answer questions about what services were offered to the former soldier, who was released from the military on medical grounds 18 months before the tragedy.

Gary Walbourne, the country's military ombudsman, who deals with matters related to serving members of the military, said in the immediate aftermath of the shooting the case could represent a failure of the transition system, which is meant to guide soldiers and their families safely and securely out of uniform.

There have been a number of cases recently where ex-soldiers have waited months for benefits and services, including mental health treatment and financial support.

Parent wasn't prepared to fully endorse his colleague's statement, but said there is merit to the idea that bad transitions increase stress on soldiers.

Funerals for Desmond and his family were held this week.