Canadian military revises 2011 suicide stats, asks tough questions of itself

OTTAWA – The Canadian military has quietly added two more names to the list of soldiers who killed themselves in 2011.

That brings to 22 the number of soldiers who took their own lives in the same year as the army ended its combat mission in Afghanistan.

The figures are contained in the military’s latest report on suicide in its ranks, which was obtained by The Canadian Press.

The study, which looked back at 10 years of data, concluded deployments haven’t been a risk factor for suicide and that the overall rate of serving soldiers who kill themselves remains steady.

In the report, the military said that 10 male and three female soldiers died by suicide in 2012, compared with 21 men and one woman the previous year.

The report provides no explanation for the changes between 2011 to 2012.

News from © The Canadian Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community? Create a free account to comment on stories, ask questions, and join meaningful discussions on our new site.

Leave a Reply

The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press is Canada's trusted news source and leader in providing real-time, bilingual multimedia stories across print, broadcast and digital platforms.