In the line of duty: Canada's casualties Since 2002, Last Updated October 31, 2011 158 members of the Canadian Forces have been killed serving in the Afghanistan mission. Four Canadian civilians have also been killed, including one diplomat, one journalist and two aid workers.

In the line of duty: Canada's casualties

Last Updated October 31, 2011

Since 2002, 158 members of the Canadian Forces have been killed serving in the Afghanistan mission.

Four Canadian civilians have also been killed, including one diplomat, one journalist and two aid workers.

	First name	Last name	Rank	Unit	Province	Date of incident
	Byron	Greff	Master Corporal	3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry	Alberta	October 29, 2011
	Francis	Roy	Master Corporal	Canadian Special Operations Regiment	Quebec	June 25, 2011
	Karl	Manning	Bombardier	1st Battalion Royal 22e Regiment	Quebec	May 27, 2011
	Yannick	Scherrer	Corporal	1st Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment	Quebec	March 27, 2011
	Steve	Martin	Corporal	1st Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment	Quebec	December 18, 2010
	Brian	Pinksen	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Royal Newfoundland Regiment	Newfoundland and Labrador	August 22, 2010
	Brian	Collier	Sapper	1 Combat Engineer Regiment	Ontario	July 20, 2010
	Kristal	Giesebrecht	Master Corporal	1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group	Ontario	June 26, 2010
	Andrew	Miller	Private	1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group	Ontario	June 26, 2010
	James	MacNeil	Sergeant	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group	Nova Scotia	June 21, 2010
	Martin	Goudreault	Sergeant	1 Combat Engineer Regiment	Ontario	June 6, 2010
	Larry	Rudd	Trooper	Royal Canadian Dragoons	Ontario	May 24, 2010
	Geoff	Parker	Colonel	Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	May 18, 2010
	Kevin	McKay	Private	1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry	Ontario	May 13, 2010
	Craig	Blake	Petty Officer 2nd Class	Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic)	Ontario	May 3, 2010
	Tyler	Todd	Private	1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Ontario	April 11, 2010
	Darren	Fitzpatrick	Corporal	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	British Columbia	March 6, 2010
	Joshua	Baker	Corporal	Loyal Edmonton Regiment, 4th Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Alberta	February 12, 2010
	Frank	Paul	Captain	28 Field Ambulance	Newfoundland and Labrador	February 10, 2010
	John	Faught	Sergeant	1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry	Ontario	January 16, 2010
	Garrett	Chidley	Private	2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry	Ontario	December 30, 2009
	Zachery	McCormack	Corporal	Loyal Edmonton Regiment, 4th Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry	Alberta	December 30, 2009
	George	Miok	Sergeant	41 Combat Engineer Regiment	Alberta	December 30, 2009
	Kirk	Taylor	Sergeant	84 Independent Field Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery	Nova Scotia	December 30, 2009
	Andrew	Nuttall	Lieutenant	1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry	British Columbia	December 23, 2009
	Steven	Marshall	Sapper	1 Combat Engineer Regiment	Alberta	October 30, 2009
	Justin	Boyes	Lieutenant	3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Saskatchewan	October 28, 2009
	Jonathan	Couturier	Private	2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment	Quebec	September 17, 2009
	Patrick	Lormand	Private	2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment	Ontario	September 13, 2009
	Jean-François	Drouin	Corporal	5 Combat Engineer Regiment	Quebec	September 6, 2009
	Yannick	Pépin	Major	5 Combat Engineer Regiment	Quebec	September 6, 2009
	Mathieu	Allard	Sapper	5 Combat Engineer Regiment	Quebec	August 1, 2009
	Christian	Bobbitt	Corporal	5 Combat Engineer Regiment	Quebec	August 1, 2009
	Sébastien	Courcy	Private	2nd battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment	Quebec	July 16, 2009
	Patrice	Audet	Master corportal	430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron	Quebec	July 6, 2009
	Martin	Joannette	Corporal	3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment	Quebec	July 6, 2009
	Nick	Bulger	Corporal	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Ontario	July 3, 2009
	Charles-Philippe	Michaud	Master corporal	2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment	New Brunswick	June 23, 2009
	Martin	Dubé	Corporal	5 Combat Engineer Regiment	Quebec	June 14, 2009
	Alexandre	Péloquin	Private	3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment	Quebec	June 8, 2009
	Michelle	Mendes	Major	Chief of Defence Intelligence	Ontario	April 23, 2009
	Karine	Blais	Trooper	12e Régiment blindé du Canada	Quebec	April 13, 2009
	Jack	Bouthillier	Trooper	Royal Canadian Dragoons	Ontario	March 20, 2009
	Tyler	Crooks	Corporal	3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	March 20, 2009
	Corey	Hayes	Trooper	Royal Canadian Dragoons	New Brunswick	March 20, 2009
	Scott	Vernelli	Master corporal	3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	March 20, 2009
	Marc	Diab	Trooper	Royal Canadian Dragoons	Ontario	March 8, 2009
	Dennis	Brown	Warrant officer	The Lincoln and Welland Regiment	Ontario	March 3, 2009
	Dany	Fortin	Corporal	425 Tactical Fighter Squadron	Quebec	March 3, 2009
	Kenneth	O'Quinn	Corporal	2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signals Squadron	Newfoundland and Labrador	March 3, 2009
	Sean	Greenfield	Sapper	2 Combat Engineer Regiment	Manitoba	January 31, 2009
	Brian	Good	Trooper	Royal Canadian Dragoons	Ontario	January 7, 2009
	Gregory	Kruse	Sergeant	2 Combat Engineer Regiment	Ontario	December 27, 2008
	Gaetan	Roberge	Warrant officer	Royal 22nd Regiment	Ontario	December 27, 2008
	Michael	Freeman	Private	3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	December 26, 2008
	John	Curwin	Private	2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Nova Scotia	December 13, 2008
	Thomas	Hamilton	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Nova Scotia	December 13, 2008
	Justin	Jones	Private	2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Newfoundland and Labrador	December 13, 2008
	Demetrios	Diplaros	Private	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	December 5, 2008
	Mark	McLaren	Corporal	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	December 5, 2008
	Robert	Wilson	Warrant officer	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	December 5, 2008
	Prescott	Shipway	Sergeant	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Saskatchewan	September 7, 2008
	Andrew	Grenon	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Ontario	September 3, 2008
	Chad	Horn	Private	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Alberta	September 3, 2008
	Mike	Seggie	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Manitoba	September 3, 2008
	Shawn	Eades	Sergeant	1 Combat Engineer Regiment	Ontario	August 20, 2008
	Stephan	Stock	Sapper	1 Combat Engineer Regiment	British Columbia	August 20, 2008
	Dustin	Wasden	Corporal	1 Combat Engineer Regiment	Saskatchewan	August 20, 2008
	Erin	Doyle	Master corporal	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	British Columbia	August 11, 2008
	Josh	Roberts	Master corporal	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry	Saskatchewan	August 9, 2008
	James	Arnal	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry	Manitoba	July 18, 2008
	Colin	Wilmot	Private	1 Field Ambulance	Alberta	July 6, 2008
	Brendan	Downey	Corporal	Military Police Detachment	Saskatchewan	July 4, 2008
	Jonathan	Snyder	Captain	1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	British Columbia	June 7, 2008
	Richard	Leary	Captain	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Ontario	June 3, 2008
	Michael	Starker	Corporal	15th Field Ambulance	Alberta	May 6, 2008
	Terry	Street	Private	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Quebec	April 4, 2008
	Jason	Boyes	Sergeant	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Manitoba	March 16, 2008
	Jérémie	Ouellet	Bombardier	1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery	Quebec	March 11, 2008
	Michael	Hayakaze	Trooper	Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)	Alberta	March 2, 2008
	Étienne	Gonthier	Corporal	5e Régiment du génie de combat	Quebec	January 23, 2008
	Richard	Renaud	Trooper	12e Régiment blindé du Canada	Quebec	January 15, 2008
	Eric	Labbé	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment	Quebec	January 6, 2008
	Hani	Massouh	Warrant officer	2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment	Quebec	January 6, 2008
	Jonathan	Dion	Gunner	5e Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada	Quebec	December 30, 2007
	Nicolas	Beauchamp	Corporal	5th Field Ambulance, 5 Area Support Group	Quebec	November 17, 2007
	Michel	Lévesque	Private	3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment	Quebec	November 17, 2007
	Nathan	Hornburg	Corporal	The King's Own Calgary Regiment	Alberta	September 24, 2007
	Raymond	Ruckpaul	Major	Armoured Corps, The Royal Canadian Dragoons	Ontario	August 29, 2007
	Christian	Duchesne	Master corporal	5th Field Ambulance, 5 Area Support Group	Quebec	August 22, 2007
	Mario	Mercier	Master warrant officer	2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment	Quebec	August 22, 2007
	Simon	Longtin	Private	3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment	Quebec	August 19, 2007
	Jordan	Anderson	Corporal	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Nunavut	July 4, 2007
	Cole	Bartsch	Corporal	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Alberta	July 4, 2007
	Colin	Bason	Master corporal	The Royal Westminster Regiment	British Columbia	July 4, 2007
	Matthew	Dawe	Captain	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Ontario	July 4, 2007
	Jefferson	Francis	Captain	1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery	New Brunswick	July 4, 2007
	Lane	Watkins	Private	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Manitoba	July 4, 2007
	Stephen	Bouzane	Corporal	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Newfoundland and Labrador	June 20, 2007
	Christos	Karigiannis	Sergeant	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Quebec	June 20, 2007
	Joel	Wiebe	Private	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Alberta	June 20, 2007
	Darryl	Caswell	Trooper	Royal Canadian Dragoons	Ontario	June 11, 2007
	Darrell	Priede	Master corporal	Army News Team, 3 Area Support Group	Ontario	May 30, 2007
	Matthew	McCully	Corporal	2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron	Ontario	May 25, 2007
	Anthony	Klumpenhouwer	Master corporal	Canadian Special Operations Forces Command	Ontario	April 18, 2007
	Patrick	Pentland	Trooper	Royal Canadian Dragoons	New Brunswick	April 11, 2007
	Allan	Stewart	Master corporal	Royal Canadian Dragoons	New Brunswick	April 11, 2007
	David	Greenslade	Private	2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	New Brunswick	April 8, 2007
	Kevin	Kennedy	Private	2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Newfoundland and Labrador	April 8, 2007
	Donald	Lucas	Sergeant	2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Newfoundland and Labrador	April 8, 2007
	Brent	Poland	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	April 8, 2007
	Christopher	Stannix	Corporal	Princess Louise Fusiliers	Nova Scotia	April 8, 2007
	Aaron	Williams	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	New Brunswick	April 8, 2007
	Kevin	Megeney	Corporal	1st Battalion, The Nova Scotia Highlanders (North)	Nova Scotia	March 6, 2007
	Robert	Girouard	Chief warrant officer	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	New Brunswick	November 27, 2006
	Albert	Storm	Corporal	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	November 27, 2006
	Darcy	Tedford	Sergeant	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Alberta	October 14, 2006
	Blake	Williamson	Private	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	October 14, 2006
	Mark	Wilson	Trooper	Royal Canadian Dragoons	Ontario	October 7, 2006
	Craig	Gillam	Sergeant	Royal Canadian Dragoons	Newfoundland and Labrador	October 3, 2006
	Robert	Mitchell	Corporal	Royal Canadian Dragoons	Ontario	October 3, 2006
	Josh	Klukie	Private	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	September 29, 2006
	Glen	Arnold	Corporal	2nd Field Ambulance	Ontario	September 18, 2006
	David	Byers	Private	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Ontario	September 18, 2006
	Shane	Keating	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Saskatchewan	September 18, 2006
	Keith	Morley	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Manitoba	September 18, 2006
	Mark	Graham	Private	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	September 4, 2006
	William	Cushley	Private	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	September 3, 2006
	Frank	Mellish	Warrant officer	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Nova Scotia	September 3, 2006
	Richard	Nolan	Warrant officer	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Newfoundland and Labrador	September 3, 2006
	Shane	Stachnik	Sergeant	2nd Combat Engineer Regiment	Alberta	September 3, 2006
	David	Braun	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Saskatchewan	August 22, 2006
	Andrew	Eykelenboom	Corporal	1st Field Ambulance	British Columbia	August 11, 2006
	Jeffrey	Walsh	Master corporal	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Saskatchewan	August 9, 2006
	Raymond	Arndt	Master corporal	The Loyal Edmonton Regiment	Alberta	August 5, 2006
	Kevin	Dallaire	Private	1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Alberta	August 3, 2006
	Vaughan	Ingram	Sergeant	1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Newfoundland and Labrador	August 3, 2006
	Bryce	Keller	Corporal	1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Saskatchewan	August 3, 2006
	Christopher	Reid	Corporal	1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Nova Scotia	August 3, 2006
	Francisco	Gomez	Corporal	1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Alberta	July 22, 2006
	Jason	Warren	Corporal	The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada	Quebec	July 22, 2006
	Anthony	Boneca	Corporal	Lake Superior Scottish Regiment	Ontario	July 9, 2006
	Nichola	Goddard	Captain	1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery	Alberta	May 17, 2006
	Matthew	Dinning	Corporal	2nd Military Police Platoon	Ontario	April 22, 2006
	Myles	Mansell	Bombardier	5th (British Columbia) Field Artillery Regiment	British Columbia	April 22, 2006
	Randy	Payne	Corporal	CFB/ASU Wainwright Military Police Platoon	Ontario	April 22, 2006
	William	Turner	Lieutenant	Land Force Western Area Headquarters	Ontario	April 22, 2006
	Robert	Costall	Private	1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Ontario	March 29, 2006
	Paul	Davis	Corporal	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Nova Scotia	March 2, 2006
	Timothy	Wilson	Master corporal	2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Alberta	March 2, 2006
	Braun	Woodfield	Private	2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Nova Scotia	November 24, 2005
	Jamie	Murphy	Corporal	1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Newfoundland and Labrador	January 27, 2004
	Robbie	Beerenfenger	Corporal	3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	Ontario	October 2, 2003
	Robert	Short	Sergeant	3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment	New Brunswick	October 2, 2003
	Ainsworth	Dyer	Corporal	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Quebec	April 18, 2002
	Richard	Green	Private	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Nova Scotia	April 18, 2002
	Marc	Léger	Sergeant	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Ontario	April 18, 2002
	Nathan	Smith	Private	3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Nova Scotia	April 18, 2002

Records 1-158 of 158

Veteran’s complaint highlights significant privacy issues Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

A veteran filed a complaint with our Office alleging that Veterans Affairs Canada had violated the Privacy Act by using his personal information inappropriately when it included excessively detailed and sensitive medical information in briefing notes to the Minister of Veterans Affairs.




The complainant also alleged that the department had transferred his medical file to a hospital administered by Veterans Affairs without his consent.



The incidents referred to in the complaint occurred in 2005 and 2006.



Background

The investigation confirmed that several briefing notes prepared for the Minister of Veterans Affairs contained sensitive medical information concerning the complainant. As well, the notes included significant detail about how the complainant interacted with the department, not only as a client but also as an advocate for veterans.



The investigation also determined that officials from numerous branches at Veterans Affairs, including Program Policy, Communications and Media Relations, were involved in discussing and contributing to the content of the briefing notes and also had full access to them.



On the second issue raised in the complaint, the investigation found that the department sent several large volumes of the complainant’s personal and medical information to a hospital that it administers. This material included medical reports, letters between the complainant and the department, as well as a briefing note prepared for the minister.



Veterans Affairs stated that it transferred the information to the hospital in order to establish his suitability for referral to a treatment program offered there. Departmental guidelines required clients to complete a Release of Information Form authorizing such transfers. However, this was not done.



Findings

The investigation determined that the volume and sensitivity of personal information, including medical information, contained within two briefing notes to the minister was excessive and went far beyond what was necessary for the stated purpose of the briefings.



While there were other briefing notes containing personal information, those were prepared for the purpose of a ministerial response to particular issues raised by the complainant and therefore the content appeared appropriate.



One of the notes that raised serious concerns was prepared in March 2006 in order to brief the Minister on the complainant’s participation in a Parliament Hill press conference to discuss issues related to veterans. In addition to briefing the Minister on the complainant’s advocacy activities, the note contained considerable sensitive medical information including, diagnosis, symptoms, prognosis, chronology of interactions with the department as a client, amounts of financial benefits received, frequency of appointments, and recommended treatment plans. The complainant had provided this information to the department in relation to an application for veterans’ benefits.



Several months later, Veterans Affairs re-used and updated the detailed briefing note from March 2006 with the intent to brief the Minister on a specific treatment/benefit issue.



Also of deep concern was the way in which the complainant’s personal information was widely shared between branches of Veterans Affairs in the preparation of briefing notes. Sensitive personal information was inappropriately shared with departmental officials who would normally require only very limited or no access to medical information in fulfilling their duties. In fact, they had no need to know the complainant’s medical information in order to add their contribution to the briefing notes.



On the second issue referred to in the complaint, the investigation found that the complainant had never provided consent for his information to be transferred to the hospital.



In both matters raised in the complaint, the investigation found that Veterans Affairs’ use of the complainant’s personal and medical information was not in accordance with section 7 of the Act, which states that personal information under the control of a government department shall not, without an individual’s consent, be used by the department except for the purpose for which the information was obtained or compiled, or for a use consistent with that purpose.



Accordingly, the complaint was well-founded.



Recommendations

As a result of this investigation as well as information that has come to light through media reports and telephone calls from other individuals, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner has significant privacy concerns about the use of sensitive medical information within Veterans Affairs. The Office is particularly concerned about the apparent lack of controls to protect sensitive medical information from being widely accessed and disseminated within the department.



The Office has reminded Veterans Affairs of its obligations under the Privacy Act and, in particular, that the use of personal information must be appropriately limited and proportionate to the operations of the institution in order to be in accordance with section 7 of the Act.



The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has issued the following formal recommendations to Veterans Affairs Canada:



•Take immediate steps to develop an enhanced privacy policy framework with adequate protections and controls to regulate access to personal information within the department.

•Revise existing information-management practices and policies to ensure that personal information is shared within the department on a need-to-know basis only. Personal information, including but not limited to sensitive medical information, should not be shared with programs that have no operational requirements for access to such information.

•Provide training for employees about appropriate personal information-handling practices.

•Review procedures to ensure that consent is obtained prior to personal information being transferred to veterans’ hospitals.

Next Steps

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner believes there is a possibility that this case may be an indication of a more systemic privacy issue within Veterans Affairs.



During the investigation, officials did not satisfy the Office that the department currently has adequate policies and procedures in place to govern the handling of veterans’ personal information. As well, officials could not clearly identify or explain policies, procedures or typical information-sharing practices.



The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has also become aware – through media reports as well as information provided by individuals who have contacted the Office – about other allegations of personal information being handled inappropriately.



As a result, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner has determined that it is appropriate to conduct an audit to examine the way in which the department handles the personal information of veterans to ensure compliance with federal privacy legislation.

An audit into Veterans Affairs Canada and how it handles privacy issues will be released in early 2012, Canada's privacy commissioner said Monday. : The news came as a third veteran went public with complaints into the number of times civil servants accessed his file, and how his file was handled at the agency.

An audit into Veterans Affairs Canada and how it handles privacy issues will be released in early 2012, Canada's privacy commissioner said Monday.




The news came as a third veteran went public with complaints into the number of times civil servants accessed his file, and how his file was handled at the agency.



Sylvain Chartrand, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Bosnia, says his file was accessed more than 4,000 times between 2003 and 2010.



HIs complaint is similar to one by Sean Bruyea, another veteran who advocates for veterans' rights, and whose private medical information was shared with both Liberal and Conservative ministers of veterans affairs.



A statement by a spokeswoman for Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart says an audit into how Veterans Affairs handles private information is coming soon.



"We are currently conducting an audit of Veterans Affairs," Anne-Marie Hayden said. "It is examining, at a systemic level, the department’s personal information management practices and compliance with federal privacy legislation.



"As part of the audit, we are closely monitoring the progress of their implementation of our recommendations, resulting from the investigation of Veterans Affairs concluded in October 2010 ... We anticipate making the audit findings public in the winter of 2012."



Third privacy breach

Chartrand filed a complaint with the privacy commissioner in 2008 about an official at Veterans Affairs giving information to an official from the Department of National Defence.



Assistant Privacy Commissioner Chantal Bernier found the complaint was valid but didn't recommend any corrective action because the agency had already taken action, she said in a letter to Chartrand.



Chartrand and fellow veteran Dennis Manuge requested their records after hearing about Bruyea's case. They have all advocated for veterans rights.



Manuge, speaking to Evan Solomon on CBC Radio's The House, says records show civil servants in Victoria, Winnipeg and Mississauga, Ont., accessed his file, as well as a senior writer in the minister's office. He says he doesn't know why they would have needed access to a file containing his personal records.



Chartrand is now the third veteran to go public with privacy concerns, speaking to Solomon today on CBC's Power & Politics.



A statement by Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney says the government worked with Stoddart's office to strengthen its privacy rules.



"Our government will not tolerate any violation of veterans' privacy. That's why we took action a year ago to ensure strict disciplinary measures for those who violate the law, while strengthening access controls and monitoring," he said.

Another veterans' advocate says government officials breached his privacy by unnecessarily going into his medical record hundreds of times, one year after Sean Bruyea settled a similar complaint.

Another veterans' advocate says government officials breached his privacy by unnecessarily going into his medical record hundreds of times, one year after Sean Bruyea settled a similar complaint.




In an interview with Evan Solomon, host of CBC Radio's The House, Dennis Manuge said he decided to look into his own file when he heard Bruyea's complaints. Manuge often appears alongside Bruyea to demand changes to how the government treats veterans, and is leading a class action lawsuit against the government over a claw-back on disability benefits.



Bruyea went public after discovering through requests under federal access to information laws that Veterans Affairs Canada staff had gone into his personal files and put confidential medical information into briefing notes to ministers under both the Liberal and Conservative governments.



Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart said she found it alarming that officials shared Bruyea's information with seemingly no controls.



Manuge says records show his file was accessed between 900 and 1,000 times from 2002 to 2010. The records end before Bruyea settled his complaint.



"They literally have your entire life on paper. All your medical records, everything that there is, that you’ve disclosed in applications to receive psychological, physical services and benefits from Veterans Affairs Canada," he said.



Many of the people who accessed Manuge's file appear to have done so legitimately, with job titles like client service officer or payment officer, benefits processing.



Manuge says he's looked into between 40 to 100 of the names on the list of people who accessed his file, and wonders why people in Victoria, B.C., Mississauga, Ont., and Winnipeg, were looking at it. Manuge lives in Nova Scotia.



"I have never lived in British Columbia since I've been a client of Veterans Affairs Canada... [There were] hits from members of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board when I had no outstanding appeals," he said.



"People from the minister's office – ministerial inquiries unit [also looked at it]. The title is senior writer. What does a senior writer at the minister’s office have to do looking at my personal medical, psychological, you know, financial information?"



Manuge says he worked out an agreement with a top official at Veterans Affairs and avoided going to the media or filing a lawsuit. He says he had a deal worked out, including a non-disclosure clause.



"A day later my lawyers called me and said, 'no, it went to the Justice Department lawyers and there's no deal. They're essentially, telling us to prove your case before they’ll even consider it'," Manuge said.



"I think four or five months to handle something as serious as this is more than enough."



New privacy measures in place

Sean Casey, the Liberal Party's critic for veterans affairs, said many veterans "suffer great personal tragedy" in the course of their service and should be treated with greater consideration.



Veterans Affairs Canada "has a responsibility to ensure these records are accessed and shared in a manner which is respectful of veterans and their families," Casey said. "If this is brought into question, the onus is on the minister to reassure us all."



Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney said the department has implemented new privacy measures since news of Bruyea's case broke last year.



"Only the person processing the files are in fact in contact with an individual file for purposes that are related to the file, and in that order, we've implemented a new strategy ... although we want to streamline our process, we want to make sure that privacy is of utmost importance for our veterans and that ... confidentiality is the highest priority," Blaney told Solomon.



Blaney says the department has worked with the privacy commissioner on the issue.



"I'm no doctor. I don't need to have, I would say, any diagnosis on any veterans," he said.



Blaney said the only reason he would need access to a veteran's file is if veterans are asking him questions about their case.