A Nova Scotia inquiry investigating why a former Afghanistan war veteran killed his family and himself in 2017 heard Tuesday from a federal lawyer who defended the work of Veterans Affairs Canada.
Lori Ward told the inquiry it would be easy to blame the federal department for the deaths of Lionel Desmond and three family members, saying an unfair narrative has emerged about an uncaring bureaucracy.
Ward submitted a long list of examples showing how Desmond’s case manager at Veterans Affairs went out of her way to help her client make a smooth transition to civilian life in 2015 and 2016.
Desmond served in Afghanistan as an infantryman in 2007 and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2011 before he was medically released from the army in July 2015.
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