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Under questioning from Liberal MP Joyce Murray, however, Blais also said the “guidance” is aimed at what soldiers might say to the news media.

Some of the wounded and their families have been highly vocal about the failure of the military leadership and Conservative government to help those injured serving their country. Defence insiders say there is intense pressure from the government to limit such bad publicity.

The form, given to military personnel who are transferred to the Joint Personnel Support Unit, was leaked to the Citizen by military members upset with what they saw as a threat against speaking out about their concerns.

The Joint Personnel Support Unit, or JPSU, was created to help the injured. It oversees support centres across the country.

In August, the Citizen revealed the organization was rife with problems, with soldiers and staff warning about the lack of resources and raising concerns some of the support centres were dysfunctional.



Blais told MPs the document is not designed to stifle criticism.

But the form notes that those in JPSU are not to disclose “your views on any military subject.” The military personnel in the unit were also told not to “write anything that might discourage others or make them dissatisfied with their conditions or their employment.”

The form, introduced in March 2013, noted that military personnel in JPSU would be held responsible for not only the content they post on social media outlets but also the content of sites of their friends which they have “tagged.”