Ontario Agrees to Fund Mental-Health Services for Soldiers’ Children

OTTAWA (CP) – The Ontario government has agreed to fund a mental-health services centre that helps children of soldiers deployed in Afghanistan cope with the stress of the war.

The move comes following a scathing report Friday by the province’s ombudsman, Andre Marin, who says the provincial government cannot shirk responsibility for such services.

Marin launched an investigation last month after receiving a complaint that the children of parents serving in Afghanistan aren’t getting access to therapy and other care.

Children living in Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ont., have had trouble coping with the trauma of parents away in the war zone, and with the death of their parents in Afghanistan.

The Ontario government had balked at funding the service, saying it was a federal responsibility because of the Afghan war, while Ottawa insisted mental-health services are paid for by the provinces.

Marin, previously the ombudsman for the Canadian Forces, says children are suffering and need help.

He also took a shot at the federal government, saying it may not have a constitutional responsibility, but it has a moral obligation to take care of soldiers and their families.