Retired Canadian peacekeeper calls feds suicide prevention strategy ‘smoke and mirrors’
LOGAN LAKE, B.C. — It’s hoped to reduce the number of suicides among those who have served in uniform.
Earlier this week the feds released a joint-suicide prevention strategy between National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada that focuses on strategies to ease the transition to civilian life from a military career.
Logan Lake resident Scott Casey who was a peacekeeper in the Balkans in the early 90s and president of the organization Military Minds that helps veterans with PTSD called the strategy ‘disingenuous’.
“What they’ve done is basically re-rolled out something that’s already been in place for years,” said Casey. “The Joint Personel Support Unit (JPSU) actually had a suicide strategy within its ranks and it was never employed properly and has pretty much been a failure in every regard.”