Letter to MND: Review of the treatment and care of Language and Cultural Advisors

28 August 2024

The Honourable Bill Blair, P.C., C.O.M., M.P. 
Minister of National Defence 
Department of National Defence and The Canadian Armed Forces
National Defence Headquarters 
101 Colonel By Drive, 
13th Floor, North Tower 
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K2

Dear Minister Blair:

I am writing to inform you that my office will soon complete a review into the treatment and care of the former Language and Cultural Advisors (LCAs) who served Canada during Canada’s mission to Afghanistan.

The Department of National Defence hired these Canadian citizens as term-based civilian employees. They served alongside our CAF members—outside the wire—in this role during the Canadian Armed Forces’ military and training missions in Afghanistan. They made a decisive impact on CAF operations. Since they returned to Canada, many have suffered significantly from injuries resulting from their service and have been unable to secure the care and support they need. 

As you are aware, my office has been actively engaged on this issue since 2017. This year, we met with Departmental officials and your office to identify potential avenues to ensure that these individuals have access to the care and benefits they need. My predecessor, Gregory Lick, also provided options to move forward in a March 2024 letter. While all parties have identified a desire to support these individuals, we have seen little movement on their access to support.

I hope that having the context, timelines and requirements clearly outlined will show the urgent need to act to get these Canadians the help they need. We plan to conclude this review and present you with a report by the end of fall 2024.

Sincerely,

Robyn Hynes

Interim Ombud