OMBUDSMAN - National Defence and Canadian Forces February 17, 2005 OTTAWA -- Military Ombudsman André Marin wants CF members who sit on military Boards of Inquiry to have specialized training and access to expert medical advice when required. The Ombudsman made this recommendation in his latest report, which reviews the Board of Inquiry that examined injuries sustained by Adam Orfanakos while he was a first-year officer-cadet at the Royal Military College in Kingston. This report examines another botched internal inquiry that was conducted after Mr. Orfanakos collapsed during a five-kilometre race in September 2000. The officer cadet was rushed to hospital, where he was diagnosed with severe swelling of his leg muscles that caused his skeletal muscle to break down. This led to renal failure. His injuries were so severe that the young officer-cadet had to be released from the Forces for medical reasons and now receives a disability pension. In December 2000, the Board of Inquiry blamed the officer-cadet for over- exerting himself during the race. "In this particular case, the Board was dealing with a complex medical matter, yet the members did not obtain expert medical evidence," Mr. Marin said, "and to further compound the problem, the medical information that the Board received was misunderstood." Mr. Marin recommends that experts in the area of emergency medicine, orthopaedics and sports medicine conduct an independent medical review of the Orfanakos case. He also listed six recommendations that focus on ensuring that future Boards of Inquiry are adequately prepared and trained. "The CF provides intensive training for anyone wanting to be become a soldier. Training is also systematized for officers conducting summary trials or harassment investigations. But when it comes to training for Boards of Inquiry, in spite of the extremely important and complex matters they deal with, members are merely expected to fly by the seat of their pants," Mr. Marin remarked. Mr. Marin also noted that Mr. Orfanakos and his family were in effect excluded from the Board of Inquiry, which created a cloud of suspicion about the fairness and thoroughness of the process. The Ombudsman thus recommends, as he did in his last public report, When a Soldier Falls, that persons with a vested interest in the outcome be allowed to participate in the inquiry process. He added that, "it serves no purpose to exclude CF members and their families from the Board of Inquiry process. They should be allowed to participate fully to ensure that the ultimate goal of any Board of Inquiry-the successful search for the truth-is achieved." The investigation was conducted at the request of then Minister of National Defence, Art Eggleton. The report entitled Ministerial-directed Investigation: Review of Board of Inquiry Examining Serious Injury is available online at www.ombudsman.forces.gc.ca . - 30 - For further information: Barbara Theobalds Director, Communications and Media Relations Office of the Ombudsman, DND/CF (613) 992-6962 Bronwyn Cruden A/Communications Project Manager Office of the Ombudsman, DND/CF (613) 995-2386
