Ranger deaths to be investigated
Report indicates 49 deaths among Canadian Rangers and Junior Rangers since 2011; Military won't confirm numbers but say none happened during operations
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Monday, November 2, 2015
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
The ombudsman for the Canadian Armed Forces is preparing to launch an investigation into the way the Department of National Defense provides health-care support to Canadian and Junior Rangers across the North and how it reports incidents such as ranger deaths and injuries.
The 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group is expected to be included in an investigation into a what appears to be a high number of deaths among Canadian Rangers and Junior Rangers in the North. Master Corporal Barney Masuzami, left, of the Rangers, and Lieutenant-General Steve Bowes were both involved in Operation Nanook in the NWT last August. - photo courtesy of the Department of National Defense |
In an e-mail, Lisa Fiander, public affairs officer with the department, stated that there have been 41 deaths among the Rangers and Junior Rangers since January, 2011. She did not say exactly what the causes of death were or where the deaths occurred.
Jamie Robertson, spokesperson for the ombudsman's office, said there is no specific case or incident that triggered the move.
"Our office has been in operation since 1998 and we have looked at individual cases within the rangers but never the unit as a whole," he said.
"If there is any correlation between them and service we will pursue that. We are currently setting the parameters for the investigation, Robertson said.
"The three main aspects we will be looking into are the issues to do with fitness of rangers, health basically, what kind of health support is provided and how injuries are reported. We're looking at all support being provided by the Canadian Armed Forces."
Robertson said the investigation will get underway in the next 90 days or so and is expected to take six to nine months to complete. He said that the Canadian Rangers are part of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves, but Rangers are not technically reservists.
"The ombudsman's view is that a soldier is a soldier regardless of whether they are regular forces or reserve forces. Everything we look at is from a fairness perspective. When we look at the Rangers - that's the lens we look through - are the Rangers being treated any differently than other elements of the Canadian Armed Forces? We'll flag the findings and then we will make recommendations on what we believe has to be looked at to improve the situation."
Robertson said this probe is not a response to a specific complaint. He also would not say why this investigation was launched but did explain how his office works.
"We'll get complaints that come in to our office from family members or from crews on the ground. When issues come to our attention then we decide what kinds of issues and concerns need to be examined," he said.
The ombudsman's office has a staff of 60 and they travel from base to base investigating various complaints and issues, Robertson said.
A spokesperson at the Department of National Defense said they would not be granting interviews on the investigation until at least after the report comes out.
According to its website, the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol group is based in Yellowknife and encompasses the NWT, Yukon and Nunavut. The group has 1,750 rangers in 60 patrols across the North. There are 1,600 junior rangers in 41 Northern communities. Their mission is to provide lightly equipped, self-sufficient forces in support of the Canadian military across the North, including assisting in search and rescue operations. They are considered the eyes and ears of the Canadian Forces in the North. Many of the members are indigenous. They are easily recognizable by their distinctive red sweatshirts and ball caps emblazoned with the ranger crest.
