Hearing into soldier's suicide to start in February

A public hearing into the suicide of Edmonton-based soldier Cpl. Stuart Langridge will start in Ottawa on Feb. 27.

Langridge hanged himself in March 2008 following several earlier suicide attempts. The young soldier suffered from severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled with substance abuse after he returned from a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2005.

The Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) announced last month that a hearing would be held. The date was set on Wednesday.

The hearing comes after Langridge's parents filed a formal complaint with the commission.

Sheila and Shaun Fynes allege the probe conducted by the Canadian Forces National Investigations Service was not impartial or independent, and aimed to absolve the military of any responsibility for their son's death.

They also allege the military failed to pass on a suicide note Langridge left for them until 15 months after his death.

Sheila Fynes hopes the public hearing will explain why it was so difficult for her son to get the help he needed.

Canada's chief of defence staff, Gen. Walter Natynczyk, and Defence Minister Peter MacKay have apologized to Fynes for how the military treated her son and dealt with her family after he died.