A rush to judgment

It’s very easy to get upset when a convicted killer is getting treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – at taxpayers’ expense. The anger increases when we learn that Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) approved the treatment while many deserving and needy vets wait months or years for help.

The outrage boils over when this case of PTSD is the result of Christopher Garnier strangling a female police officer. Canadians are paying for a killer’s therapy to overcome the trauma of the murder.

There are suggestions that some officials at VAC need their heads examined. How could something like this happen?

Mr. Garnier was convicted last December of second-degree murder in the September 2015 death in Halifax of 36-year-old Catherine Campbell, an off-duty Truro police officer. He is being seen by a private psychologist, and Veterans Affairs is covering the cost because his father is a veteran who has also been diagnosed with PTSD.

Before we rush to judgment, we should – however grudgingly – consider the bigger picture. Mr. Garnier is eligible to seek parole in just over 11 years and the key elements of our judicial system are deterrence and rehabilitation. Treatment will help him successfully re-enter society once his sentence is served. According to experts, Mr. Garnier now suffers from acute stress disorder, a mental illness that resulted from his PTSD.

Current VAC rules – in effect for many years make him eligible for treatment. Curtailing the program to prevent Mr. Garnier from accessing the system would deny help for veterans and family members who need and deserve assistance.

Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan is scrambling in damage control to limit the political outrage. The minister is “looking into how and why this decision was made” but must defend Veterans Affairs officials who followed the rules.

VAC developed programs to help veterans and police who developed PTSD in defence of country or performance of duty. Extending that help to family members is a generous gesture. If a parent gets treatment, then families don’t require an application or a claim. The extension of benefits to family members is a good thing that contributes to the overall well-being of veterans. VAC policy is that when a man or woman serves in Canada’s armed forces or the RCMP, their whole family serves with them.

But providing financial help to a convicted felon – when the cause of PTSD is a heinous crime like murder – is beyond the original intent and the exception to the rule. Minister O’Regan must step forward and halt this travesty.

Mr. Garnier has a right to help while in jail but it should be from the Department of Justice and not from Veterans Affairs. His crimes sully the contributions and sacrifices made by veterans, police and their families.

To simply close loopholes and offer no supports – even for a murderer like Mr. Garnier – however tempting, is not the right way. As much as the circumstances revolt us, we can’t let revenge be our guide.

Then we sink to his level.