OSISS program would have prevented suicide of a young RCMP officer with PTSD
OSISS program would have prevented suicide of a young RCMP officer with PTSD
I want to say that this has been an important week for bringing out the truth about the deliberate lack of funding by the Harper Government for the OSISS program, a program I have been advocating to the Harper Government and RCMP for years. I sent a letter to then Commissioner Elliot the lawyer Harper made Commissioner in order to get the RCMP back on track after the previous Commissioner resigned in disgrace and it was said that the RCMP need to be fixed.
In reality what happen was Harper replaced one autocratic boss for another. I sent a long letter to the then Commissioner Elliot some years ago about the liabilities the RCMP will face if they do not deal with PTSD which is rampant in the RCMP sooner than later because there will be unnecessary human tragedy ending up in the news media. I emphasized that the OSISS program is urgently needed because I personally know it works, it saves families, marriages and lives.
Well the Autocratic Mr. Elliot could do nothing because Harper could care less . An example of what Commissioner Elliot tried to do was to submit a request to Prime Minister Harper requesting that the VIP program which was desperately needed by the elderly and disabled RCMP veterans be funded and the Prime Minister said no. Why??The lack of action by Prime Minister Harper speaks for itself. An example of how hard I tried to reach out to Prime Minister Harper was a letter I sent to him 4 times, one by registered mail, a copy by mail, a copy by email and the last copy I asked NDP MP Peter Stoffer to hand Prime Minister Harper personally in parliament which he did for me and never a response from the Prime Minister.
Why does the Prime Minister take this indifferent attitude towards the RCMP and ignore the desperate need to address the issue of Post Traumatic Stress disorder? I believe its all about balancing the federal budget by 2014 what else could be the reason? Well the inevitable thing happened and just recently an RCMP officer committed suicide as a result of duty related PTSD which ended up on Global National. How many PTSD related suicides have occurred within the RCMP ranks and have been kept quiet? A fair question to ask.
I was very angry when I saw RCMP staff relations representative Staff Sgt. Mike Casault talking to Global National about his friend and fellow RCMP officer who committed suicide because of PTSD. It is unusual for an RCMP officer to speak to the media without authorization but in the this case I can really feel the anger and frustration from Staff Sargent Casault not to mention the pain of losing a friend.
As far as I am concerned THIS WAS PREVENTABLE IF THE HARPER GOVERNMENT AND COMMISSIONER ELLIOT TOOK MY LETTERS TO THEM SERIOUSLY YEARS AGO!! The were warned that this would happen if they did not join the OSISS program that the RCMP and Veterans could easily integrate into. I explained in detail to the RCMP Health and Occupational Safety about how this could be done and that it would be very cost effective in the fact that the OSISS program is already well established right across Canada. I explained this to the RCMP officer involved in the initiative to analyse the cost etc. but as shown on Global National this study costing was halted and not pursued. Why? The huge cost of morally providing seriously needed programs like OSISS and VIP to all those RCMP officers and Veterans suffering from PTSD,other disabilities and age related problems??
I would ask RCMP staff relations representative Staff Sgt. Mike Casault to pass on the Letter I sent to the Prime Minister that is on line, as well as my detailed letter to Commissioner Elliot imploring him to seriously look at the OSISS program because of the very possible liability the RCMP would face if nothing is done to the spouse of the RCMP officer and friend who committed suicide. I am incensed by this because I personaly know the OSISS program works and as a trained volunteer for OSISS have assisted a seriously suicidal peer through the appropriate protocol learned during my OSISS course. The peer in question got the help, support needed and is now stabilized and living a better life. Should the spouse of this fallen RCMP officer decide to take civil action I would be more than happy to give evidence in court under oath in regards to the efforts I made in vain for the Harper Government and RCMP to accept the invaluable OSISS program which saves lives because as I stated during my interview with Global National the OSISS program saved my marriage and my life.
As a lot of you out there know I served the in the RCMP for 24 years and since my return from Croatia in 1993 was dealing with undiagnosed PTSD for approx 10 years and my wife and kids suffered from my PTSD related anger and injured them emotionally. I brought this up because the OSISS program has a Family Peer Support program as well to help the spouses and families of an injured soldier or veteran to help them heal from the PTSD related fallout they are subjected to.
When I saw in a second interview done by Global National of a wife of an RCMP officer who was telling her tail of the violence she and the rest of her family faced by her husband, an active RCMP officer is a prime example that there is not just one victim of PTSD, it affects the immediate families of the RCMP officer and members and veterans of the Military as well. That is the other valuable thing about the OSISS program it has a Family Peer Support program. I really felt for this wife of the this RCMP officer who has been traumatized , I know because I subjected my wife and kids to a lot of verbal abuse. I will always feel the guilt of hurting those I love. Getting diagnosed and the right medical help along with Peer Support my life and that of my family is a lot better than it was by a long shot.
The culture in the RCMP needs to change in regards to education at all levels of the RCMP like what the Canadian Military has been doing for a long time so that the issues of denial, the stigma of being perceived as week resulting in scapegoating by fellow officers, (which is common in the RCMP) and is a big factor in driving one to suicide needs to be addressed. What happened to the the VRAB member and disabled Canadian Military Veteran Harold Leduc is an example of an individual being harassed by colleagues driving him to thoughts of suicide.
I HOLD PRIME MINISTER HARPER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UNNECESSARY SUICIDE OF THIS RCMP OFFICER WHO COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED IF THE OSSIS PEER SUPORT WAS TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND MADE AVAILABLE TO THE RCMP. The real crime is that Mr. Harper lets this happen but still demands that the RCMP provide volunteers to fulfill the mandate for the numerous UN missions Canada has committed to and of Course Afghanistan. Prime Minister Harper knows perfectly well there will be those returning injured with PTSD not to forget those RCMP officers suffering from PTSD as a result of being exposed to traumas here in Canada which are really not that different from what the Canadian Military experience.
Eric Rebiere (Former Cst. RCMP 37515 LSGC and Canadian Military Veteran)
In reality what happen was Harper replaced one autocratic boss for another. I sent a long letter to the then Commissioner Elliot some years ago about the liabilities the RCMP will face if they do not deal with PTSD which is rampant in the RCMP sooner than later because there will be unnecessary human tragedy ending up in the news media. I emphasized that the OSISS program is urgently needed because I personally know it works, it saves families, marriages and lives.
Well the Autocratic Mr. Elliot could do nothing because Harper could care less . An example of what Commissioner Elliot tried to do was to submit a request to Prime Minister Harper requesting that the VIP program which was desperately needed by the elderly and disabled RCMP veterans be funded and the Prime Minister said no. Why??The lack of action by Prime Minister Harper speaks for itself. An example of how hard I tried to reach out to Prime Minister Harper was a letter I sent to him 4 times, one by registered mail, a copy by mail, a copy by email and the last copy I asked NDP MP Peter Stoffer to hand Prime Minister Harper personally in parliament which he did for me and never a response from the Prime Minister.
Why does the Prime Minister take this indifferent attitude towards the RCMP and ignore the desperate need to address the issue of Post Traumatic Stress disorder? I believe its all about balancing the federal budget by 2014 what else could be the reason? Well the inevitable thing happened and just recently an RCMP officer committed suicide as a result of duty related PTSD which ended up on Global National. How many PTSD related suicides have occurred within the RCMP ranks and have been kept quiet? A fair question to ask.
I was very angry when I saw RCMP staff relations representative Staff Sgt. Mike Casault talking to Global National about his friend and fellow RCMP officer who committed suicide because of PTSD. It is unusual for an RCMP officer to speak to the media without authorization but in the this case I can really feel the anger and frustration from Staff Sargent Casault not to mention the pain of losing a friend.
As far as I am concerned THIS WAS PREVENTABLE IF THE HARPER GOVERNMENT AND COMMISSIONER ELLIOT TOOK MY LETTERS TO THEM SERIOUSLY YEARS AGO!! The were warned that this would happen if they did not join the OSISS program that the RCMP and Veterans could easily integrate into. I explained in detail to the RCMP Health and Occupational Safety about how this could be done and that it would be very cost effective in the fact that the OSISS program is already well established right across Canada. I explained this to the RCMP officer involved in the initiative to analyse the cost etc. but as shown on Global National this study costing was halted and not pursued. Why? The huge cost of morally providing seriously needed programs like OSISS and VIP to all those RCMP officers and Veterans suffering from PTSD,other disabilities and age related problems??
I would ask RCMP staff relations representative Staff Sgt. Mike Casault to pass on the Letter I sent to the Prime Minister that is on line, as well as my detailed letter to Commissioner Elliot imploring him to seriously look at the OSISS program because of the very possible liability the RCMP would face if nothing is done to the spouse of the RCMP officer and friend who committed suicide. I am incensed by this because I personaly know the OSISS program works and as a trained volunteer for OSISS have assisted a seriously suicidal peer through the appropriate protocol learned during my OSISS course. The peer in question got the help, support needed and is now stabilized and living a better life. Should the spouse of this fallen RCMP officer decide to take civil action I would be more than happy to give evidence in court under oath in regards to the efforts I made in vain for the Harper Government and RCMP to accept the invaluable OSISS program which saves lives because as I stated during my interview with Global National the OSISS program saved my marriage and my life.
As a lot of you out there know I served the in the RCMP for 24 years and since my return from Croatia in 1993 was dealing with undiagnosed PTSD for approx 10 years and my wife and kids suffered from my PTSD related anger and injured them emotionally. I brought this up because the OSISS program has a Family Peer Support program as well to help the spouses and families of an injured soldier or veteran to help them heal from the PTSD related fallout they are subjected to.
When I saw in a second interview done by Global National of a wife of an RCMP officer who was telling her tail of the violence she and the rest of her family faced by her husband, an active RCMP officer is a prime example that there is not just one victim of PTSD, it affects the immediate families of the RCMP officer and members and veterans of the Military as well. That is the other valuable thing about the OSISS program it has a Family Peer Support program. I really felt for this wife of the this RCMP officer who has been traumatized , I know because I subjected my wife and kids to a lot of verbal abuse. I will always feel the guilt of hurting those I love. Getting diagnosed and the right medical help along with Peer Support my life and that of my family is a lot better than it was by a long shot.
The culture in the RCMP needs to change in regards to education at all levels of the RCMP like what the Canadian Military has been doing for a long time so that the issues of denial, the stigma of being perceived as week resulting in scapegoating by fellow officers, (which is common in the RCMP) and is a big factor in driving one to suicide needs to be addressed. What happened to the the VRAB member and disabled Canadian Military Veteran Harold Leduc is an example of an individual being harassed by colleagues driving him to thoughts of suicide.
I HOLD PRIME MINISTER HARPER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UNNECESSARY SUICIDE OF THIS RCMP OFFICER WHO COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED IF THE OSSIS PEER SUPORT WAS TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND MADE AVAILABLE TO THE RCMP. The real crime is that Mr. Harper lets this happen but still demands that the RCMP provide volunteers to fulfill the mandate for the numerous UN missions Canada has committed to and of Course Afghanistan. Prime Minister Harper knows perfectly well there will be those returning injured with PTSD not to forget those RCMP officers suffering from PTSD as a result of being exposed to traumas here in Canada which are really not that different from what the Canadian Military experience.
Eric Rebiere (Former Cst. RCMP 37515 LSGC and Canadian Military Veteran)
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