Canadian Casualty Identification Program – using Databases to connect Families to Their Lost Soldiers

This presentation was originally given as part of Genetic Genealogy Ireland 2019.

These are exciting times for anyone who has a lost relative, no matter the reason for the loss. With advances in DNA retrieval and analysis, work is being done to identify the remains of individuals who have been found around the world. This process is very similar across all aspects of research, including law enforcement, the various Doe projects and even in the identification of lost military personal from historical and current conflicts. We will take a look at the work being done by the Canadian Casualty Identification Program as well as the use of DNA databases to help in the process. Are public databases being used? Is there a government database for these soldiers’ families to leave reference samples? Are there privacy concerns to worry about in this kind of work? If I give a sample will Law enforcement have access to my sample? Join me as we attempt to bring clarity to an exciting time in genetic genealogy.