The Canadian military is facing what could be its largest-ever lawsuit. It comes from a group of soldiers who claim to have suffered debilitating stress while on active duty.

Twenty-five soldiers have formed a growing list of plaintiffs whose individual lawsuits claim they suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because Canadian Armed Forces did not attend to their psychological problems.

The lawsuits seek a total of about $60 million in damages.

Although active personnel are among those suing the military, the list of plaintiffs is dominated by former peacekeepers. Four are Albertans, three are from Ontario and the rest are from Quebec.

CFCF reporter John Grant, who was at the press conference, says the plaintiffs have filed suit on two grounds.

"The first one is Canadian forces culture which says 'if you can't hack: get out.' And that's what happens when they come up with PTSD," Grant said.

"The other problem they say is budgets and management... There's just not enough people to go around."

Fernand Vincent, a warrant officer who is part of the lawsuit, says he is not ashamed to say he suffered from PTSD. But he is ashamed he received no help.

"I gave 100 per cent for 30 years. I always thought if I get sick they'll take care of me. But it was just the opposite. Not only not get the right care, I got misdiagnosed on medical stuff, and four months with a psychologist who basically tells you: 'It's your fault if you had a burnout'."

The Department of National Defence refused to comment on the lawsuits. Conceding the size of the lawsuit appears unmatched in history, a spokesperson said the military never comments on pending cases.

One former sergeant, Georges Dumont, says the U.S. Army treats its soldiers much better.

"If you look at the Americans, they have armies of therapists, social workers and psychologists deployed with soldiers. Not in the Canadian Forces," he told a Tuesday news conference.

Dumont, who served on peacekeeping missions in Haiti, Cyprus, Somalia and the former Yugoslavia, filed his own $2.84 million lawsuit against the military last year. That case is still pending.

In March, military ombudsman Andre Marin issued a report that urged greater attention be paid to soldiers who suffer stress injuries.

"Given the intensity of our current troop commitment, this matter is more pressing than ever and has to be a high priority," Marin said in his report.

Marin said 20 per cent of soldiers returning from missions have to deal with PTSD, but many are discouraged from seeking psychological counseling because of the stigma associated with mental disorders.

In their filing, the group of soldiers claim their psychological scars are the result of inadequate military funding.

"They knew the job wouldn't be easy, but they expected that the Canadian Forces would look after them when things got bad and they failed to do that," Grant said.

"They expected to lose body parts... maybe even get killed. But when it comes down to a psychological problems they don't get recognized."

The DND defines PTSD as an operational stress injury "caused by the reaction of the brain to a very severe psychological stress such as feeling one's life is threatened."According to the DND website:

• PTSD is a legitimate medical condition affecting the brain
• PTSD is only one health problem caused by psychological trauma. But not all personnel exposed to stressful operations will develop the disorder.
• PTSD often occurs in combination with other personal, social, spiritual and mental health difficulties and is best treated if identified early. Waiting to get treatment until symptoms are no longer tolerable can aggravate symptoms and impede recovery.

With a report from The Canadian Press