Daily BrewNo political points to be scored after dead soldier’s mother receives one-cent cheque
We can all agree that, from time to time, bureaucratic processes result in insensitive snafus that feel heartless and even cruel.
Jury orders issued for the recently deceased, parking tickets for those who have parked hastily outside hospital emergency rooms. Or, in a recent case, a cheque worth one penny issued to the mother of a soldier who recently committed suicide.
The Canadian Press reports that the mother of Cpl. Justin Stark received such a cheque at the end of February, marked as "CF Release Pay."
Stark, however, had committed suicide inside a Hamilton armoury in October 2011, after a seven-month tour in Afghanistan. Tribunals have been held to determine whether his death should be considered connected his military duty.
The one-cent cheque came while Stark's mother was already in a "fragile state" and, on the outset, seems insensitive. It comes at a time when the Conservative government's sensitivity toward military veterans has been questioned.
There has been a series of soldier suicides in recent months and debate is ongoing over the impact post-traumatic stress disorder has on Canadian veterans.
At the same time, the government has faced pushback over its decision to close several Veterans Affairs district offices in small towns. However, Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino recently announced measures that would give hiring priority to former members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
The issue of the treatment of Canadian military veterans is a far cry from this issue of a poorly-timed and ultimately foolish cheque for a penny. Members of Parliament are unanimous in their embarassment on the issue.
[ Related: Julian Fantino announces more measures to hire injured vets ]
NDP MP Wayne Marton first raised the issue in the House of Commons on Tuesday, stating:
Mr. Speaker, in 2011, Justin Stark, after completing a seven-month tour in Afghanistan, committed suicide in his Hamilton barracks.
In the years since, his grieving mother sat through endless tribunals while the military debated whether or not her son's death was work related.
Mrs. Stark has just received an envelope from the military. In it was a cheque made out to her son for one cent.
One cent; after all this mother has gone through, this is inexcusable.
Minister of National Defence Rob Nicholson responded, calling the incident "absolutely ridiculous.
"I extend the apologies of everyone in the government to his mother. We thank that individual for the service he gave his country," he said.
"That being said, this is an insensitive bureaucratic screw-up. I have just learned of it now, and I will take steps immediately to ensure that something like this should never happen again."
There are no political points to be won off the back of a grieving, insulted mother.
By the NDP's own admission, this is a bureaucratic mishap coming from the public works department, not in any way related to how the Ministry of Defence or Veterans Affairs handles issues of suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder in the military.
Justin Stark's mother deserves an apology for this bureaucratic snafu. She may deserve more for the way her son's death has been handled. But that is another, separate story.
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