“This was kind of my last big splash to try to prompt some action.”
Cultural advisers who volunteered to help the Canadian Forces during the Afghan war were assured they would be working from the relative safety of offices at military installations.
Instead, the Afghan-Canadian civilians found themselves in uniform and in combat, with little training, as most served two years on the front lines, according to a new report from a military watchdog. Some spent up to four years doing the job, spending much of their time outside the wire either under fire or the threat of attack.
But when they returned back to their homes in Canada, the advisers were cut loose by the military, according to the report issued Wednesday by the office of the Canadian Forces ombudsperson. They were offered no support or help as they dealt with wounds and mental ailments from their service.
Robyn Hynes, the interim ombudsperson for the Canadian Forces and Department of National Defence, says there is a moral obligation to do the right thing and to take care of these Canadians who served side-by-side with soldiers in Afghanistan.
Her latest report on the situation the Language and Cultural Advisors or LCAs have faced over the years represents a last-ditch effort to force the Liberal government and defence leadership to act. “This was kind of my last big splash to try to prompt some action,” Hynes told the Ottawa Citizen in an interview.
The Afghan-Canadians were proactively recruited during the war, mainly by the Canadian army. The military was desperate for those who could speak the local languages as well as understand Afghan culture. Eighty-one Canadian citizens were hired.
The LCAs were assured by the Chief of Defence Intelligence that “their work would be office-or classroom- based at the relatively safe Kandahar Airfield,” the Ombudsperson report noted. “The reality turned out to be different.”
The Chief of Defence Intelligence also only provided the LCAs with minimal training, the report determined.
The LCAs volunteered and continued on the mission because they wanted to help Afghanistan and they felt it was their duty to help Canada. “I was tired and missed my family and home but when they asked me to stay, I stay(ed),” one LCA explained to the ombudsperson’s office. “It was my duty. Canada has given me and my family everything.”
Hynes noted that her office has previously urged the defence minister to intervene to ensure injured LCAs receive appropriate care and compensation. “The current Minister has pledged support in this matter, however, the LCAs have received little relief to date,” her report added.
There is no requirement for the federal government or Canadian Forces to follow recommendations Hynes puts forward.
Defence Minister Bill Blair responded to Hynes on Wednesday noting that his department remains committed to helping the LCAs in trying to get services through the government’s benefits system. Blair wrote that DND continues to monitor the situation and “continues to support the LCAs through this process.”
Because the LCAs were civilians on temporary contracts, DND and the military denied them help or benefits. Instead of aiding the LCAs, the military has referred them to organizations such as the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. But many of the injury claims from the LCAs are being rejected.
Even when the LCAs tried to apply to provincial insurance programs, they were limited in what they could say about their service since Canadian intelligence officers had sworn them to secrecy because of the missions they took part in.
The Canadian Forces had limits on the length of service for its soldiers in Afghanistan so as to prevent mental and physical injuries. Most deployments were for six months although some troops spent up to a year in Afghanistan. None of those rules applied to the LCAs.
David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe
