Ottawa should compensate Afghan interpreters, military ombud says

OTTAWA — A military watchdog is pushing Ottawa to financially compensate Afghan Canadians who served as interpreters for the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan and later suffered mental distress.

The federal government failed in its duty to language and cultural advisers who worked for Canada’s military during the Afghanistan conflict, says a report by Robyn Hynes, interim ombud for the Department of National Defence.

Hynes said Ottawa should order independent assessments and determine on a case-by-case basis if former advisers need compensation for such conditions as post-traumatic stress disorder.

“There were systemic failures at multiple points in the employment of the (advisers) and in post-employment care,” she said.

Ottawa hired 81 of these advisers to work from 2006 to 2014 in the war-torn country on prolonged deployments outside the safe zones of military bases. Many would later struggle to access benefits and supports because they aren’t covered by the same policies as military members.

“The federal government made a commitment to these employees when they hired them,” Hynes said. “They sent them overseas, they deployed them outside the wire, they put them in harm’s way, and then when they came back, they found themselves unable to access the care and benefits that they needed.”

Her office has been raising this issue with the federal government for years. But while Defence Minister Bill Blair has pledged support, Ottawa has so far failed to act.

Ottawa’s response to former advisers seeking compensation has been to direct them to the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). Many advisers say they’ve struggled and failed to get the provincial bureaucracy to advance their claims.

Of all the WSIB claims filed by former advisers, only three led to financial compensation and 13 qualified for some level of health-care benefits, Hynes said.

Blair’s written response to the report said he “regret(s) the injuries that several” suffered due to their deployments and the department now has measures in place limiting civilian deployment time.

But Hynes said Blair’s response to her recommendations left her “very unclear” about how Ottawa’s plan for the advisers will “meet the spirit” of her recommendations.

She called her report her last option to spur the government into action.

“I was hoping that clearly laying out the evidence, showing the timeline, showing the policy gaps — I really hoped that would prompt action, but I would note that there’s no requirement for the government to follow the recommendations made by our office,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press