The deaths of four Royal Military College officers on the Kingston campus last week will be further investigated once the preliminary investigation is completed, but the exact type of investigation to be carried out remains to be determined.
At around 2 a.m. on April 29, it fell into the water from Point-Frederick, a peninsula located between the Port of kingston and the bay Navy in st. Lawrence River.
The four men were identified as Andrei Honciu, Jack HogarthAndrés Salek at Broden Murphy.
The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS)-an independent branch of the military police-and the Chief Coroner of Ontario are investigating. ang CFNIS said he did not suspect foul play in the case and appealed to the public for more information on how the vehicle went into the water.
The investigation reports of CFNIS are not made public, but they can be obtained by requesting information, explains Michel Drapeau, a retired colonel who practices martial law and teaches at the University of Ottawa.
The standard process will lead to a commission of inquiry convened by the Department of National Defense, Mr. Drapeau said.
In an emailed statement, the Department writes that it typically convenes a Board of Inquiry or Summary Inquiry to investigate the death of any member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for the reasons. except for wounds sustained in battle.
The Ministry added that it has not yet decided what its form will be administrative inquiry in this file.
Commissions reserved for business complicated
Both the Board of Inquiry and Summary Investigation aim to assist military officers to better understand the incidents affecting the operation of FCCsaid the Ministry.
The military lawyer Rory Fowlerwho is also a retired lieutenant colonel and former attorney in the Office of the Judge Advocate General (JAG), explains that the two proceedings aimed to establish three main conclusions:
The cause and factors that contributed to death
If people were on duty at the time of the incident
If the deaths were related to military service
While the commissions of inquiry are committed to complex or important eventssummary inquiries are usually reserved for cases it’s simpleexplanation of the Ministry.
If Fowler characterized a summary investigation as Short version a commission of inquiry – like a bike comparable to an SUV.
While some members of the armed forces sit on a commission of inquiry, a summary investigation is conducted by an officer. with no ability to force to appearsaid Mr. Fowler.
A scheme that can fail families, says one lawyer
The procedure surrounding a commission of inquiry has raised concerns in the past.
Mr. Drapeau said the involvement of families is limited, often leaving them frustrated as long as the parents are not represented by an attorney who can cross-examine witnesses.
Parents can only attend if they are invited to appear as witnesses themselves, he added.
This process is not open to the publicsummarizes Me Drapeau.
A 2014 report from the Office of the Ombudsman for the Department of National Defense and the Canadian Forces looked at the involvement of Canadian Armed Forces families on Boards of Inquiry. The report made several recommendations, all of which were implemented except for one that suggested including families at all stages of a commission of inquiry.
If Fowler explained that the purpose of such a procedure is often not understood.
It consists of examining skills and techniques and knowing whether or not they need to be changed.he summarizes. This is not of general interest.
The conclusions are not necessarily related to systematic problems, Mr. added. Fowler.
Sometimes, ultimately, it’s an unfortunate set of events. There is not much you can do to prevent it.
The chairman of the commission of inquiry – usually a senior officer, according to Mr. Fowler -serves as a point of contact for families, according to the Ombudsman’s website. The president meets with families initially to explain the process, then to give them updates on the commission’s progress and provide a redacted copy of the report after the council’s investigation.
A coroner’s inquest is also possible
The coroner’s inquest can also be added to any other form of administrative investigation, Mr. continued. Fowler.
Mr. Drapeau believes this would be more beneficial to the public than a commission of inquiry.
You don’t have to be in the military to suffer and be a victim of this situationjudge I Drapeau.
So, let’s make sure we find out what happened, how it happened, and make sure we, as a society, families, military and civilians, learn from it.
With information from Guy Quenneville, CBC News
Source: Radio-Canada
