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February 10, 2016
Captain Colin Evans
23 - 16004 54 St
Edmonton, AB, T5Y 0 R1
(587) 778-4521
Minister of National Defence
The Honourable Harjit Singh Sajjan
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6
Dear Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan,
To be brief, I am a Captain in the Canadian Armed Forces who suffers from Major Depressive
Disorder. I have recently found out (28 Jan 2016) that I will be out of the military in two months after a two
and a half year struggle with the Canadian Military to have my mental health disorder recognized. It was
concluded and documented I am not advantageously employable because “who, either wholly or chiefly
because of the conditions of military life or other factors beyond his control, develops personal weaknesses
or has domestic or other personal problems that seriously impair his usefulness to or impose an excessive
administrative burden on the Canadian Forces.” I believe that this is setting dangerous and unequivocally
unjust precedence in regards to the care and follow up of the mentally wounded soldiers with the Canadian
Military.
In my 17 years of military career, I have served most faithfully and proudly as a Communication
Officer. The highlights of my career include: training for many deployments to Afghanistan, planning &
executing tactical communications for all army units during Operation PODIUM (Vancouver
Olympics), and planning the tear down, hand-over, and disposal of over $84 million dollars of
communications equipment in KAF. Of the last two operations, I was awarded high level commander
commendations for my efforts.
My disease came to a critical point in August 2012. I could no longer handle the prolonged and
extreme periods of stress due to my military and my personal situation. I was involved in a domestic
situation – resulting in a suicide attempt. Both of these situations, I have minimal recollection. My first
inclination was to seek out immediate help from Mental Health at the Edmonton Garrison mental health
department. I knew that my situation was dire and if I was to remain alive, I needed emergency
care. During my lowest moments I received minimal support and therapy from the medical and mental
health departments at the Edmonton Garrison. After prolonged delays – I was informed that I was not able
to receive active treatment until my court case was resolved. However, offered a social worker for passive
communications. Knowing that I was getting worse as the days went by, the betterment of my mental health
was more important to me than policy and protocol. So I plead guilty to the charges to offer myself survival,
a future – I was court ordered to attend mental health therapy through a local (non-military psychiatrist).
Looking back, it is absolutely abhorrent what was done to me. I plead guilty to the charges, in order
to receive mental health therapy. The requirement of the military left me a broken person. I did not know
myself any longer. Dr. Curtis Woods (forensic psychiatrist with Alberta Health Services) completed an
assessment and determined a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder in April 2013. I was initiated on
medications for stabilization – however, the prescription was not supported by the military pharmacy. But
with mental health issues, nothing is easy. Due to my personal strength and perseverance –I have been
stabilized, both psychologically and medically for maybe the last eight months.
Unfortunately, issues still continued on my path to recovery. I was assaulted and knocked
unconscious by four nightclub bouncers, an incident that was not acceptable within the military ranks. No
one in the military cared about my side of the story and once again I felt trapped. Due to my mental illness
and the lack of support, guidance and attendance – I struggled with coping, self-worth and goal setting – at
times resulting in multiple suicide attempts this has resulted in 2 further hospitalizations due to mental
illness.

 Months passed as I waited for my chain of command to decide what to do with me, even though I
had instructed them to charge me if I had been in error. But as I waited my mental health eroded, and on
one fateful day I decided that my life was no longer worth living and I would drive off of the overpass with my
car. An unlikely guardian angel took the form of an Edmonton City Police Officer. I am ashamed of myself
that I may have harmed not only myself but someone else.
Although the charges would be eventually thrown out of court, my Commanding Officer had the
police escort me for a psychiatric evaluation at a local hospital the next evening. There was a “false”
concern for my wellbeing by the military. These incidences were only viewed as my own personal struggle
and unhealthy coping strategy (as many do) with alcohol. My diagnosis of MDD was real. My pain was
real. I believe and trusted that my Commanding Officers knew this. However, it appears that it would be
easier to discharge me from military service than to deal with my condition.
In October 2013, my Commanding Officer, Major Cole MacKay, wrote a letter to Ottawa stating that
I needed to be administratively released from the military for being an administrative burden and for the
alcohol incident. When I reviewed my medical file, I noticed that I was actually originally diagnosed with
MDD in 2001, in which I was never offered or given treatment. For so many years I simply thought I was
depressed from military life and thought that this was somehow normal for soldiers.
I am being released in less than two months’ time as an honourable discharge, recognized as
disabled, with Ottawa stating “there are factors that might not have been fully within [my] control.” It needs to
be clearly noted that I am a member of the Joint Personnel Support Unit and that I have not been actively
engaged as a member of the service since October 2013. I have been placed on Permanent Medical
Category (PCAT) for my mental illness and I am considered unemployable in my trade and even break the
Universality of Service because of this illness. I am not receiving a Medical release which states:
“On medical grounds, being disabled and unfit to perform his duties in his present trade or employment, and
not otherwise advantageously employable under existing service policy.”
I accept that as I struggled with my psychiatric illness, I have used alcohol as a poor coping
strategy. I accept what I have done to bring me to this point in my career and life, but I have continued to be
a leader of men. Since October 2013 I have been waging a war with Ottawa to have my mental illness
recognized. Unfortunately, it is inexcusable for the military to not accept their lack of care throughout my
career, including denying proper medical care since 2001. Had mental health care been provided so many
years ago, I may have enjoyed less troubling times.
I now have two months to plan the rest of my life. It is unclear if I will receive any medical benefits
after this discharge; I’ve been unable to get answers. I am able to create a formal grievance through proper
military channels, a process that may take upwards of one year before my case is properly heard. In two
months, I will be out of the military and my grievance will become another “administrative burden.” I write to
you, to help me overcome this administrative nightmare. . It is my hope that by coming to you that I will be
able to change this in a timelier manner. I am hoping for a medical release and the typical six month
timeframe to be able to plan the rest of my life. In a society where mental illness is not well understood, this
is compounded in a system where we have a tendency to pigeon-hole people and compartmentalize
problems. I feel like I am becoming the poster child that the military does not care about the mentally
ill. And on a personal note, many tears were shed when I wrote this up.
I desire to feel whole again. I desire to stay alive. It is important that I transition out of military life
with dignity, respect, and with care. It is important that every soldier suffering from mental illness transition
out of the military with dignity, respect, and care. But dignity, respect, and care escape me when in my
release message it states “he has developed personal weaknesses that seriously impair his usefulness to or
impose an excessive administrative burden on the CAF”. Are all future soldiers with mental illness to be
shed under these conditions?
As my last remaining duty to the Canadian Armed Forces of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, I wish to
bring attention to situations such as mine, so that the process is corrected for future soldiers. We do not
need any more soldiers that take their own lives. In so doing, I hope that you can help me change this 5D –
Disabled release to a medical release (3B) with a timelier period of release.
Our soldiers are suffering a mental health epidemic. I am hopeful the new government will be
sympathetic to the concerns of rank & file members who desire nothing more than to feel whole once again
in their daily lives.

 My request – to be given the opportunity for success, happiness and fulfillment; to serve and enjoy
the beautiful country that I served for 17 years. I will have this opportunity with your assistance. I am
requesting that my release be changed from a 5D – to a 3B.
Sincerely,
Colin L. Evans
Capt
JPSU/IPSC Member
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