Question Period Note: NOVA SCOTIA INQUIRY

LIONEL DESMOND INQUIRY
• Our hearts go out to the families involved in this tragedy.
• The Government of Canada is supporting the Desmond Fatality Inquiry by providing relevant information, within its jurisdiction, about Lionel Desmond and his family.
• We remain committed to ensuring that Veterans and their families have access to the support they need.
• In keeping with the Privacy Act, we cannot discuss any specifics about services we provide to individual Veterans or their families. As a result, we will not share personal information about Lionel Desmond or his family outside of the Inquiry.
If pressed about the Inquiry findings so far:
• Mental health conditions and related treatments can be complex. With the Inquiry ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
• Veterans Affairs Canada has cooperated fully with the Inquiry and shared all relevant information as required by the terms of reference, including the results of the internal review it conducted. We will continue to work with the Inquiry throughout this process to help provide clarity to what took place with Mr. Desmond in the hopes of providing better service to our clients.

BACKGROUND – LIONEL DESMOND INQUIRY
On January 3, 2017, the bodies of Lionel Desmond, a Veteran of the war in Afghanistan, his wife Shanna, their 10-year old daughter Aaliyah, and Mr. Desmond's mother Brenda, were found in a home in Upper Big Tracadie, Guysborough County. It is believed that Mr. Desmond took the lives of his family members, before he took his own life. On December 28, 2017, the Nova Scotia Chief Medical Examiner recommended to the Nova Scotia Minister of Justice that an inquiry be held into the deaths of Lionel Desmond and his family under the Nova Scotia Fatality Investigations Act. Hearings started on January 27, 2020 in Guysborough, Nova Scotia, before Provincial Court Judge Warren Zimmer. The first block of hearings ended on March 2, 2020. The Inquiry resumed evidentiary hearings at the courthouse in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia on February 16, 2021. VAC’s two witnesses testified on April 20, 2021 and June 22 and 23, respectively. The Inquiry resumed again from September 13-15, 2021 and from November 1-5. It is expected that hearings will resume once more on November 29. . This final block will be followed by written and oral submissions. Finally, the Judge shall make and file with the Provincial Court a written report in Spring 2022.

FATALITY INQUIRY TERMS OF REFERENCE

The judge shall make and file with the Provincial Court a written report containing any findings made by the judge as to:
a. the date, time and place of death;
b. the cause of death;
c. the manner of death; and
d. the circumstances under which the death occurred including
(i) the circumstances of Veteran’s release from St. Martha’s Hospital on January 2, 2017;
(ii) whether Veteran had access to appropriate mental health services, including treatment for Occupational Stress Injuries;
(iii) whether Veteran and his family had access to appropriate domestic violence intervention services;
(iv)whether health care and social services providers who interacted with Veteran were trained to recognize the symptoms of Occupational Stress Injuries or domestic violence;
(v) given Nova Scotia administration of the Canadian Firearms Program, whether Veteran should have been able to retain, or obtain a license, enabling him to obtain or purchase a firearm;
(vi) what restrictions, if any, applied to accessing federal health records of Veteran, by provincial health authorities or personnel; and
(vii) any recommendations of the judge about the foregoing matters

Some of the themes that emerged from the testimonies so far:
 Domestic violence and racism;
 Access to health records;
 The ability to obtain/retain a firearms licence and a firearm;
 Continuity of care;
 The role of a VAC case manager;
 Transition issues between CAF and VAC; and
Availability of treatment for complex conditions in rural areas.

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