WARNING: This story contains references to suicide.
The country’s military police watchdog is launching its first public interest hearing in over a decade into an alleged negligence case involving a defence intelligence analyst in Ottawa who died by suicide.
A complaint alleges military police may have played a role in the death of Master Corporal Shaun Orton in April 2024 by failing to conduct a wellness check sooner and delaying going into his home and performing first aid.
“The allegations in this complaint are serious,” wrote the watchdog’s chairperson Tammy Tremblay in her decision to hold a public hearing.
“If substantiated, they could amount to a failure to conduct a welfare check in an adequate and timely manner which could have potentially saved a life.”
It’s rare for the Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) to hold this kind of public hearing.
The commission said that despite repeated attempts over the past year, the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal — an adviser to the military’s top soldier on police matters — still has not disclosed information it requested about the case. A public interest hearing gives the watchdog the power to summon witnesses to testify and compel the military to disclose information, the commission said.
Tremblay also wrote in her decision that this kind of hearing can ensure there’s accountability and broader systemic issues about responding to suicides is addressed.
Orton died after “the challenges of his youth and the demons of his past finally overtook him,” his obituary says.
He served in the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, including a tour in Afghanistan where he was involved in counter-insurgence operations, according to his LinkedIn.
He later transferred to the intelligence branch in Ottawa as an adviser, his obituary said, and was part of a one-year tour in Kuwait with Operation IMPACT. That mission’s aim is to build up military capabilities in the Middle East.
Orton’s wife, Sarah Orton, filed a complaint with the watchdog last year saying she told military police on April 21, 2024, she was concerned about her husband’s safety after receiving “disturbing communications” from him.
The complaint alleges that military police “repeatedly dismissed her concerns.” Tremblay’s decision to conduct a public interest hearing details alleges when they finally agreed to check on her husband, military police stood outside his house for 45 minutes before going inside.
Orton’s complaint also said when military police found Orton’s body, they called civilian police who discovered Orton was still alive and began first aid.
His wife told the commission that he was transported by ambulance to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Military police did not go to the hospital or notify Orton’s wife about his death, she told the commission.
The complaint also said military police misplaced Orton’s suicide note and failed to collect other evidence in the house. Orton’s wife also reported struggling to get updates from military police.
“She also noted that the military police detachment commanding officer sent a priest to provide her with support without asking her permission and even though she had made known that she was Jewish,” Tremblay wrote in her decision.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Orton’s spouse also filed a complaint with the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal office in June 2024. That office told CBC News it decided the complaint “could be more appropriately dealt with through a criminal investigation”.
Tremblay sent a letter saying that a criminal investigation is not a substitute for an investigation into a complaint about military police conduct and urged them reconsider. But they declined, Tremblay wrote.
The criminal investigation concluded in March and no criminal charges or service discipline charges were laid, according to the Provost Marshal’s office. A Military Police Professional Code of Conduct investigation has now been launched to decide if administrative action should be taken against military police, the office said.
The MPCC said the forces still have not shared documents related to the case. The Provost Marshal’s office told CBC News it has corresponded with the MPCC and is supportive of its mandate.
A date for the public hearing, which will be virtual, has not yet been released.
If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to look for help:
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Canada’s Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.
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Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.
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Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
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This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you’re worried about.
