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Fynes Public Interest Hearing
Corporal (Cpl) Stuart Langridge committed suicide at Canadian Forces Base/Area Support Unit (CFB/ASU) Edmonton on March 15, 2008. He had served in Bosnia and Afghanistan. His parents, Shaun and Sheila Fynes, maintain that he was suffering from depression and post traumatic stress disorder at the time of his death. Mr. and Mrs. Fynes have filed a complaint with the MPCC relating to three investigations conducted by the Canadian Forces National Investigations Service (CFNIS) following the death of their son.
In May 2011, the Commission began a Public Interest Investigation into the complaint and on September 6, 2011, the MPCC announced it would hold a Public Interest Hearing into the military police investigations relating to the death of Corporal Stuart Langridge.
The allegations in Mr. and Mrs. Fynes complaint include:
- The CFNIS did not conduct independent investigations into the matter;
- The investigations they conducted were inadequate and biased;
- The investigations were aimed at exonerating Canadian Forces (CF) members of any responsibility for their failure to prevent Cpl Langridge’s death and for the manner in which they were subsequently treated;
- CFNIS failed to investigate important issues; and
- CFNIS failed to disclose the existence of a suicide note from their son to the Fynes.
The Commission’s mandate is to investigate the conduct of the Military Police in this case. The Commission’s investigation will focus on the complainants’ allegations, which include allegations that the police investigations lacked impartiality and independence and that the MP failed to provide sufficient and timely information to them.