The Agent Orange and Its Repercussions Thread

[Sandy Skipton]

June 23, 2007

From: Kenneth Dobbie
 
Today, June 23, marks the second anniversary of the Canadian Forces Base Gagetown Theatre Public Meeting on Agent Orange. This was the first time in Canadian history that the use of Agent Orange and other deadly carcinogens used at CFB Gagetown were discussed in a public forum.

DND’s own documents outlining the amount of catastrophic sprayings were read out loud to the Canadian media and the public via the CBC's live program CBC Newsworld, in addition, the meeting was covered by Global TV and CTV. The video clip link at the end of this letter is from the CBC National. 

Because this was such an historic meeting, it is important for the public to be reminded of exactly what went on at this meeting. Over 1.3 million litres of dioxin and hexachlorobenzene were sprayed on CFB Gagetown. What we did not know at the time of the meeting was the fact that another 2 million pounds of hexachlorobenzene contaminated herbicides were sprayed on the base in addition to what is discussed in the video.

Today, two years later, the government is fighting us all the way to the Supreme court to have our motion for a trial and a public inquiry into the poisoning of hundreds of thousands of people denied.

See what went on at the meeting for yourself.

If you cannot link to the video by clicking on the link below, please cut and paste the link into your browser and be enlightened all over again. The running time is approximately 2.51 minutes.

Kenneth Dobbie
President
Agent Orange Association of Canada

The link referred to will not post on this forum... If you wish to see the video, please check the http://www.agentorangealert.com/forum.html website and scroll down to the entry of June 23rd

 

[Sandy Skipton]

http://www.green.ca:80/en/releases/06.26.2007

06.26.2007
Green Party Leader takes aim at recent Agent Orange Report
Risk assessment report is a whitewash of a major scandal

HALIFAX - Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, will use the occasion of her speech this evening at the Global Ecological Integrity Group's 15th conference to critique the most recent report on the health effects of spraying Agent Orange and other herbicides at Camp Gagetown.

“The so-called health risk assessment released on June 21st is not useful as a guide to governmental responsibilities to compensate workers and by-standers. It amounts to a predictable whitewash of a major health scandal,” said Ms. May.

Ms. May has taught at Dalhousie University in the areas of health and the environment. She has reviewed the study prepared by the consulting firm, CANTOX.

“I was initially skeptical because CANTOX has a reputation of never finding a risk when conducting health risk assessments. CANTOX found no risk in an area near the coke ovens site in Sydney that later was found to have arsenic levels high enough to be an acute health hazard. CANTOX ruled no risk to health in expanding the St. John Irving refinery and no risk in adding caffeine to children’s soda pop,” said Ms. May. “The fact that one of CANTOX’s founders, Dr. Len Ritter, was personally responsible as a civil servant more than twenty years ago for providing advice to the federal government that 2,4,5-T was safe when the US banned it, caused me some concern.” Her concerns were reinforced in reading the report.

“Far from the reassuring pronouncements of the press release, the report makes it clear that there were far too many uncertainties about the volumes of spray used and the exposure rates to reach any firm conclusions. Nevertheless, CANTOX’s methodology minimized risks by excluding key factors,” said Ms. May.

In her review of the CANTOX Agent Orange report, Ms. May noted the following flaws:

Consideration of cumulative exposure and synergistic effects of many different exposures to many different substances was judged too complicated to assess and was omitted;

CANTOX assumed a rapid rate of decomposition in the environment, essentially assuming that each year’s dose of herbicides had vanished from the environment before the next year’s spray programme;

CANTOX made no reference to the toxicity, fate, and persistence of the well-known contaminants in the herbicides, particularly the hundreds of isomers of dioxins and furans. 2, 4, 5-T was well-known to be contaminated with 2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD, the most toxic compound ever synthesized. It bio-accumulates, as do other dioxins and furans. This factor was ignored;

The amount of drift from airborne application was substantially minimized;

The potential for groundwater contamination was excluded despite the fact that herbicides, such as alachlor, have been found in groundwater and that, once in groundwater, removed from sun and bacteriological action, tend to remain for long periods of time;

The potential for exposure through eating local fish was excluded, even though, as noted, given dioxin and furan bio-accumulation this might have been a serious route of exposure.

The potential for the herbicides to volatilize following application was ruled “unlikely” and not considered, even though volatilization of phenoxy herbicides has been considered a real world factor in other studies;

Take home exposure from clothing of workers was excluded;

The CANTOX review minimized the known health effects of the herbicides in question. 2,4-D and 2,4,5,-T known as Agent Orange have been linked to numerous birth defects (spina bifida and anencephaly) as well as miscarriages, cancer and chloracne. These health impacts were not included, as CANTOX’s review of health effects for these substances stressed “increased decreased body weight gain,” “nausea, headache, muscle cramps and fever,” etc.

The extensive medical literature from observed health problems in Vietnam veterans, civilians in Vietnam, women with high rates of miscarriages and birth defects in the US Pacific Northwest, epidemiological work from Sweden, as well as studies from Kansas and Saskatchewan on the link between phenoxy herbicides and soft tissue sarcomas and malignant lymphomas are not mentioned.

“When the report was released five days ago, Art Connelly of the Agent Orange Association called the report a ‘public relations ploy’” noted Ms. May. “It is clearly that, but it is more. It is an outrage typical of the increasingly corrupted practice known as Health Risk assessment. We must move public policy away from these bogus theoretical models of risk and back to the essential principles of public health – the prevention of harm.”

-30-

 

[Sandy Skipton]

http://www.ndp.ca:80/page/5538

NDP maps out way forward for victims of Agent Orange
Fri 20 Jul 2007 

FREDERICTON – In the absence of leadership from the Conservative government on treating victims of Agent Orange fairly, NDP Veterans Affairs Critic Peter Stoffer (Sackville – Eastern Shore) has taken the initiative to outline the measures that the government must take to address the issue. Stoffer spoke about how to move forward at a press conference with representatives from the Agent Orange Association of Canada.

“Only a full public inquiry into Agent Orange contamination and the saga of victims’ attempts to get compensation will bring the truth out into the open,” said Stoffer. “The Cantox report that the government commissioned was vague and altogether unsatisfactory – people want to know what really happened.”

Many victims of Agent Orange and other contaminants have already died without ever receiving compensation. The process for receiving compensation is covered in red tape, and the onus put on the victims to prove that they qualify is unfair and miserly. Stoffer is calling on the government to compensate anyone who has symptoms that can be correlated with exposure to Agent Orange.

"We have been advised that the compensation package will only be offered to victims who were at Gagetown in 1966 and 1967,” said Jim Cadger, Chairman of the Agent Orange Membership. “This blatantly ignores the other 26 years of deadly defoliant spraying that happened between 1956 to 1984 at Gagetown. This is a 50 year cover-up by all governments since 1956."

“Conservative Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson promised to establish a program to deal with compensation by the end of 2006. Then he stalled by waiting for the totally inadequate Cantox report,” said Stoffer.

“There has been too much stalling, too much negligence, and too many lives ruined by the government’s lack of action. Ordinary people are looking at this as just another example of the Conservatives failing to live up to their promises. It’s time for the government to start treating these people fairly – start awarding compensation, and call a public inquiry,” concluded Stoffer.

 

[1feral1]

Out of the 50,000 pers Australia sent to SVN from 1962-73, many were exposed to Agant Orange also.

Not long ago, I was at the brookside Sizzler near the Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane. It was lunch, and I had my uniform on. I had a rather skinny unhealthy, but well dresssed bloke approach me, who thanked me for what we had been doing in Iraq.

He had said he was a Viet Nam Vet, had serious health problems, and cancer for Agent Orange. I acknowledged him, and he went back to his table wit his wife.

Upon leaving back to work, I went over to his table and said 'mate I should be thanking you for what you did', and I wished him well.

That image of him coming over to my table has left an imprint in my hard drive. I won't forget that. That generatrion has given much more than ours, and had to wait til 1988 to be recognised.

Regards,

Wes

 

[Sandy Skipton]

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/849599.html

Green firm wants retraction from May


FREDERICTON — An environmental company is not ruling out legal action if Green Party Leader Elizabeth May does not retract comments she made in Halifax about the company and its work at CFB Gagetown.

"It will receive consideration," said Elliot Sigal, executive vice-president of Intrinsik, which studied the impact of the defoliant Agent Orange on human health.

Ms. May commented about the company in a speech in Halifax and in a radio interview.

"We felt that in her current position as a federal party leader she shouldn’t make incorrect allegations about a Canadian company that was working in good faith for the (federal) government on an important project," said Mr. Sigal.

Intrinsik’s work at Gagetown found that chemical herbicides posed no risk in most cases.

Ms. May questioned Intrinsik’s reputation and the quality of its work.

"We stand by the work that we did," said Mr. Sigal. "As I said, her statements about the work were completely untrue."

Ms. May told The Chronicle-Herald on Wednesday she stands by what she said.

Ms. May said if she made any factual errors she is willing to acknowledge it, but will not retract her remarks.

"The health risk assessment they did on Agent Orange in Gagetown was as I said," she said. "They made a number of assumptions that reduced the likelihood that they would find an unacceptable risk."

Intrinsik was known as CanTox when they did the study and report concerning chemical exposure at Gagetown

 

[Sandy Skipton]

http://www.merchantlaw.com/Judgment_of_Barry_J_Aug_2007.pdf

News Release

Today, August 1, 2007, a second Court in Canada granted leave to certify our Class Action Lawsuit against our present and past Governments for the spraying of dangerous levels of dioxin and hexachlorobenzene on CFB Gagetown.
 
We successfully defeated the Government, and their partners in this disgrace, Monsanto and Dow, in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. Justice Barry gave us leave to certify the class action stating:
 
“The class definition shall read: “All individuals who were at CFB Gagetown between 1956 and the present and who claim they were exposed to dangerous levels of dioxin or HCB (Hexachlorobenzene) while on the Base”
 
I don’t know which is more vile, our Government for denying justice to us who are sick, dying and who have had family die or for the fact that they have enlisted the help of two of the biggest chemical companies in the world to deny proper justice. The Government is going to appeal our first successful decision by the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench all the way to the Supreme Court.
 
I would expect that our Government or their allies, Dow or Monsanto or both would appeal the decision of Justice Barry of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador

Although we still have a tough battle ahead of us, in the end we will win. During this time ahead many of us who are sick will die. Many of us will not see the justice they deserve. This is a hard fact, but nevertheless we who survive to see justice will celebrate the lives of each of us who will not be there to see the outcome.

Having said that, it is deplorable and repulsive that I even have to say that many of us will die while awaiting justice.
 
If our Government Members were Honourable as their titles state, then they would have done the right thing two years ago when we made public their own documents showing the world that Canadian Governments over a period of 28 years had continuously poisoned the environment and hundreds of thousands of their own troops and civilians.
 
Yet they are fighting us instead of helping us. Where in the name of God is our Canada?
 
Kenneth Dobbie

President
Agent Orange Association of Canada

 

[3rd Herd]

The Usual Disclaimer:
http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=51&cat=23&id=1043423&more=0
Nanaimo veteran seeking answers
By Toby Gorman
the News Bulletin
Aug 14 2007

Class action lawsuit gets court approval

There is a ray of hope, a slim ray, that James Johnston might find out what caused the cancer that is killing him.

A class action lawsuit by more than 2,000 veterans and civilians who worked at CFB Gagetown is approved to proceed in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Johnston, who worked at Gagetown from 1958 to 1971 with the 2nd Battalion Black Watch and whose wartime role was stretcher bearer, hopes that will spark similar approvals across the country, including B.C.

The suit, initiated by veteran Ken Dobbie, claims the group was harmed by exposure to Agent Orange and other defoliants on the base between the 1950s and 1980s.

Johnston, 66, signed on to the suit simply to find answers.

“I don’t regret my time with the military and I have nothing against the military,” said Johnston, who moved to Nanaimo with his family 20 years ago.

“I still love the military and I would do it all over again. It was my life for 34 years. But I feel as though it has turned its back on me, at least the government has.

“I never asked for anything and all I want now is an answer.”

Johnston wants to know why he now has non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a group of cancers that harm the immune system.

Johnston also suffers from various other cancers and has undergone painful surgeries and chemotherapy.

His family has no history of cancer. He said the Department of Veterans Affairs has done nothing to assist him.

“Non-Hodgkins lymphoma is a trademark illness associated with this case,” said Casey Churko, a litigator involved in the suit.

Newfoundland’s Supreme Court decision will pave the way for lawyers to access information that was previously unobtainable, which could see similar lawsuits opened in other provinces. It is alleged the military used defoliants on bases like Gagetown and CFB Suffield that exposed soldiers and civilians to it.

“My life has been shortened and I want to know why,” said Johnston. “That’s all.”

 

[Sandy Skipton]

The Canadian government and the Pharmacia Corporation have filed appeals against the successful certification process

If you are interested in what points of the certification are being appealed,
The government appeal paper can be viewed at:

http://www.agentorangealert.com/images/Government_Appeal.pdf

The Pharmacia Corporation appeal paper can be viewed at:

http://www.agentorangealert.com/images/Notice_of_Appeal.pdf

Note: Leave to Appeal will be heard by the Judge presiding in Chambers at the Court of Appeal at St.John's, Newfoundland, on the 18 of September 2007 at 10:00am or as soon after that as the Application can be heard.

 

[GUNS]

Will the proceedings be open to the public.

 

[Sandy Skipton]

Your question was posed to the lawyers involved with the following response

“Chambers”  refers to one judge of the Court of Appeal hearing applications for various relief.
The Chambers applications are still heard in public. 

I have no personal experience with courts but I understand that any court/judge can open/close the doors to the public if they deem it to be necessary... If you get the opportunity to attend this appeal hearing, I would be interested in hearing about your opinion... Thank you for your interest

 

[Sandy Skipton]

Media Advisory by BGAFFP (Base Gagetown & Area Fact Finding Project)

Fact-Finder to release final report related to herbicide testing and use at CFB Gagetown
August 17, 2007
Dr. Dennis Furlong, Fact-finding Outreach Coordinator, will hold a press conference at 11:00 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at the Oromocto Days Inn. Dr. Furlong will present the most recent findings with regards to the testing and use of herbicides at CFB Gagetown.
The press conference will focus on the final report from Task 3.
Task 3B was comprised of a literature review and a descriptive epidemiological study to determine if, over time, the communities near CFB Gagetown had a higher incidence of illnesses, as compared to the province of New Brunswick.
A consolidated Task 3 report will also be made public.
The reports will be embargoed until 11:00am.

-30-
Note to editors:
A media room at the Days Inn will be opened at 9:00am and the Task 3B report will be made available.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Sandy Skipton]

http://www.680news.com/news/national/article.jsp?content=n082027A#

Latest Agent Orange report to address health patterns at N.B. base
August 20, 2007 - 13:17
OROMOCTO, N.B. (CP) - People who feel their health was harmed by exposure to herbicides at a New Brunswick military base are skeptical the final report on the spray programs will have much impact on Ottawa's compensation plans.
Military veteran Wayne Cardinal and Art Connolly of the Agent Orange Association of Canada say they believe the federal government has already decided about the amount of compensation to offer as a result of toxic herbicides used at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Cardinal says the final report, to be released on Tuesday, may serve only to limit the number of people who qualify for a federal settlement package, expected to be between $20,000 and $24,000 per person.
Dr. Dennis Furlong, co-ordinator of the federal fact-finding project on herbicide spraying at the base, will reveal the results of a study to determine whether communities near Gagetown had a higher incidence of illnesses, as compared to the province of New Brunswick.
But Connolly says military families who lived in those communities are highly mobile, and it would be difficult to get an accurate picture of the people who could have been affected by the spray programs.
The U.S. military briefly tested Agent Orange and other combat defoliants at the base in the 1960s.
In addition, herbicides were applied regularly to cut down brush on the base.

 

[Sandy Skipton]

Art Connolly, Vice-President of the Agent Orange Association of Canada, will be interviewed on the Tom Young Radio Show Tuesday August 21st at approximately 2 PM Atlantic Time. This is the Saint John NEWS 88.9 Radio station.
It is possible that Dr. Dennis Furlong, co-ordinator of the federal fact-finding project, will also be heard

This is normally a phone-in program to permit participation of the listeners
Time slot is approximately 2:00 P.M. Atlantic. You can listen live.

http://www.news889.com/index.jsp

Final agent orange report will be released today
August 21, 2007 - 4:54 am
By: Denise Barkhouse-news 88-9 staff
Fredericton- The final report from the agent orange fact finding mission's task three will be made public later this morning.
It will focus on whether , if over time, communities near CFB Gagetown had a higher incidence of illness compared to other communities within the province, but the Agent Orange association is sceptical.
Agent Orange Association of Canada vice president art Connolly is convinced the report will limit compensation for the defoliant spraying to service members who were serving at the time.
"It will be very minimal in the amount of numbers of soldiers that will be awarded compensation, and we are under the understanding that if any soldiers accepts compensation package, they will forfeit their right to continue with the class action lawsuit."
Connolly believes the government has also already decided that compensation packages will range between twenty to twenty four thousand dollars per person.
He says if all goes down as he expects, the association will continue to move forward with its class action lawsuit
Veteran Affairs minister Greg Thompson has stated the agent orange issue will be wrapped up by the end of this year.

 

[Sandy Skipton]

Submitted with permission of the Author.
His comments do not reflect my opinion but I have felt attacked when I share my opinion and that is why I have only been posting media articles pertaining to the ongoing story about the exposures and the victims....

----- Original Message -----
From:
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 10:01 PM
Subject: MLA: TODAY'S REPORT SUPPORTS COMPENSATION

MLA: TODAY'S REPORT SUPPORTS COMPENSATION

Jody Carr's Response to Today's Fact Finders Report

August 21, 2007

Today's report regarding the potential health effects from the use of herbicides used at CFB Gagetown from 1952 to the present is but only one of several pieces in a very large puzzle.  There has been a great deal of work undertaken by the previous and current governments.  The Minister of Veterans Affairs, Greg Thompson, stated publicly compensation will be announced "soon". 

With the release of today's report I am convinced there will indeed be compensation provided by the Federal Government.  Today's report, in my estimation, provided information weighing heavily in favour of providing compensation, especially to those who worked at Base Gagetown or lived very very close to spray areas and were repeatedly directly exposed to herbicides.  Here is why I conclude this:

Three points I gathered as being very important from today's release are:

1. It stated in the Summary Report that using the US IMO standards, there was sufficient evidence to support conclusions of positive associations between exposure to chlorophenoxy herbicides used at Base Gagetown (especially in the earlier years when dioxin was a contaminant) and the development of soft tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other adverse health outcomes sited on page 3 and,

2. Exposure to chlorophenoxy (dioxin-laced) chemicals did occur, however there were no concrete conclusions made regarding the "level or magnitude" of the exposures and no conclusions on the likelihood of causal of illness.  Thus, in my opinion, this leaves the benefit of the doubt to those more directly exposed requiring compensation who have experienced an IMO illness as described in the summary report page 3 and finally,

3. Since 1980, the greater Base Gagetown Region in general has seen no greater incidence of cancer compared to other regions of New Brunswick,

1. The summary report from today on Page 3 provided highlights/conclusions about the health associations with herbicides used at Base Gagetown.

It states on page 3:

"Using the US Institute of Medicine evaluation of evidence criteria, a thorough Scientific Literature Review of the published epidemiological studies about the health effects associated with the herbicides used at CFB Gagetown determined that...there was sufficient evidence, however, to support conclusions of positive associations between exposure to chlorophenoxy herbicides and the development of soft tissue sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.  In earlier years, chlorophenoxy herbicides were known to have contained manufacturing impurities, including dioxin as contaminants.  There was also preliminary evidence of positive associations between exposure to chlorophenoxy herbicides and laryngeal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocylic leukemia, spina bifida, spontaneous abortions, Parkinson's disease, and type 2 diabetes."

DVA currently only recognizes illnesses associated to exposure in 1966 and 1967.  However, as a result of today's report and acknowledgment of sufficient evidence supporting associations with dioxin laced herbicides and certain illnesses, compensation should be expanded to those people exposed beyond the 1966 + 1967 years, especially those exposed prior to 1966.

2. In addition, even though the information past 1980 showed no elevated incidence of cancer in this region compared to other areas of NB, the report today stated several times there was insufficient information to make proper conclusions regarding the people more directly exposed to the herbicides.

Family members: "exposure of family members to pesticides through the take-home pathway can occur...it was not possible to quantify this exposure...with any level of certainty due to the large number of variables and assumptions required.

Also the summary report states:

"...the level of uncertainty resulting from the reconstruction of activities, some of which occurred more than 50 years ago, coupled with the uncertainties inherent in standard forward-looking risk assessment, is large.  The expectations regarding the level of precision that this risk assessment exercise can produce...should be limited.  The risk assessment should be considered part of the weight-of-evidence needed to identify groups of individuals who may have been adversely affected by historical exposures."

"detailed analysis for exposure-related health effects was not possible due to the nature of the data that were available."

"due to the uncertainty of the data, absence of evidence from these analyses does not necessarily mean that there were no health effects resulting from the exposures to the CFB Gagetown herbicides."

Therefore, the benefit of the doubt, or the presumptive policy, should be provided to those with IMO illnesses who were exposed to dioxin-laced chlorophenoxy herbicides anytime since 1952 at Base Gagetown.

3. The report today stated there is no elevated health incidence using information available since 1980 in the greater Base Gagetown region compared to other regions of New Brunswick.  That is good news for present day residents, in particular.  However, in relation to herbicide exposure since 1952, many people who were directly exposed, especially in the earlier years, left the region prior to 1980.  Also, some people died and/or were diagnosed and treated prior to 1980, thus not being included in the statistics for today's report.

I will continue to monitor the progress of this file.  I will join many others, including veterans, at the upcoming compensation announcement to listen to the response of the Federal government with the hopes it mirrors adequate compensation for those who suffered adverse health affects due to the exposure of herbicides at Base Gagetown.

I think the Fact Finder and employees at the Fact Finder office have done the job that was asked of them.  They should be commended for their work and effort.

Sincerely,

Jody Carr, MLA

Oromocto

 

[GUNS]

Around noon today, there will be an announcement of a compensation package for those claiming to have been made ill by the spray program at CFB Gagetown.

Some speculate that the government will offer a onetime pay out of $25 000 which would not cover drugs cost for some veterans for a year.

Shame, Shame.

 

[GUNS]

$20 000 - one time payout - if you live within 5K's of Gagetown during the 1966 and 1967 spraying of AO.

$20 000 - if you have one of the medical conditions listed by the IMO as being caused by AO and was in Gagetown.

$20 000 is a drop in the bucket considering what some veteran's have to pay out.

This is one way for Thompson to get votes in his riding.

Over a billion for the Native School Scandel.

Over a billion for Tainted Blood Scandel.

Two million for a guy who said he was tortured.

A select few are getting $20 000 while the remainder have to go it alone.

No life like it.

 

[Sandy Skipton]

Received today from Peter Stoffer NDP Federal MP with the request to "Please circulate to your list. Thanks in advance."

Evelyn Riggs for Holly Brown Communications Assistant to
Peter Stoffer, MP
Sackville-Eastern Shore
2900 Hwy #2 Fall River, N.S.
B2T 1W4

With deep regret and immense frustration I have seen in the last eighteen months a display of treachery, deceit and negligence that I thought impossible from a Canadian government.  The veterans and their families of this country have been deliberately mislead and deceived by the Conservatives. 

Firstly, in June of 2005, while in opposition, the now Prime Minister Harper, in a written promise to the widow of a WWII veteran, stated that: “A conservative government would immediately extend the Veterans Independence Program services to the widows of all Second World War and Korean War veterans.”

Secondly, while in opposition, the now Minister of Veteran’s Affairs, Greg Thompson, was quoted in Hansard as saying in September of 2005, “In June, I asked the government of Canada to conduct a public inquiry into the herbicide spraying program at CFB Gagetown from 1956 to 1984.” 

Thirdly, in December of 2006, The Prime Minister stated that his government would: “. . . stand up for full compensation for persons exposed to defoliant spraying from 1956-1984.” 

Finally, the NDP’s Veterans First Motion commits the Canadian government to: 1) Eliminate the “gold-digger” clause; 2) Extend the Veterans Independence Program; 3) Increase the Survivor’s Pension Amount; 4) End the unfair reduction of SISIP; 5) End the clawback of service pensions.  This Motion was passed by a majority of Members in House of Commons last Fall and according to Mr. Harper: “The Prime Minister has the moral responsibility to respect the will of the House . . .” (Hansard. April, 2005) 

The Prime Minister has not done what he promised for the VIP. 
The Minister of Veterans Affairs has refused to call for an inquiry into the spraying at Gagetown. 
The Minister is compensating only some veterans and their families the summer months of 1966 and 1967. 
The Conservative government has failed to respect the will of the House and enact the NDP Veterans First Motion.

This acceleration of deceit is unconscionable and these politics of perjury are unacceptable.  It took the Liberals thirteen years to reach this level of deception – it has taken the Conservatives under Stephen Harper eighteen months.  The Minister of Veteran’s Affairs has completely failed veterans and their families, if he cannot match his words in government with those in opposition, he should immediately resign.  Our heroes and their families deserve better. 

Peter Stoffer is the Member of Parliament for Sackville-Eastern Shore and the Veterans Affairs Critic for the NDP. 

 

[Sandy Skipton]

This is posted with the reporters permission, as can be seen. HERE that he refers to is the Here Magazine....

Don't know if you have come across this news service before, but they are pretty solid and very well read internationally. The piece in [HERE} comes out tomorrow.
Feel free to circulate this to anyone who might be interested.
Cheers  Chris

http://ipsnorthamerica.net/news.php?idnews=1055



CANADA:
Many Vets Say Agent Orange Settlement Falls Short
Christopher Arsenault

HALIFAX, 19 Sep (IPS) - Notorious for its devastating use by the U.S. military in the Vietnam War, the toxic defoliant Agent Orange was tested and sprayed extensively in Canada by both the Canadian military and its U.S. counterpart in the1950s, '60s and '70s

Recently, some Canadian veterans received a long-awaited compensation package, but veterans' advocates say the reparations do not go nearly far enough.

In 1966, Ken Dobbie and thousands of other young men spent summers hacking foliage soaked in Agent Orange while clearing forests at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in the province of New Brunswick.

'We never had any protection; we would handle this stuff [brush covered in Agent Orange] with our bare hands,' Dobbie told IPS.

'We were never told these chemicals were dangerous, and now I am living in constant pain,' said Dobbie, 58, who is sick with brain atrophy, neurological disorders, thyroid growths, toxic hepatitis, and type 2 diabetes he blames on the time he spent working and living at Gagetown.

In 1966-67, the U.S. military, invited by the Canadian government, tested Agent Orange and Agent Purple on 83 acres at Base Gagetown.

The term 'Agent Orange' originated from the 45-gallon orange-striped barrels Monsanto and Dow Chemical used to market and ship the roughly 1:1 chemical mix of dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). Dioxin, a known carcinogen linked to cancer and other ailments, is a component of Agent Orange and Agent Purple.

Last week, Canada's Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson announced a 94.5-million-dollar compensation package, offering lump sum payments of 19,700 dollars to some veterans and civilians who were at the base in 1966-67. 'We are proud to announce a plan that is fair and shows compassion to the thousands of Canadians whose lives have been so affected,' said Thompson in a statement.

'We may never fully know what happened when Agent Orange was tested at the Canadian Forces Base in Gagetown in 1966 and 1967, but our government has always stood firm,' said Thompson, a member of Canada's ruling Conservative Party. The federal government reportedly expects about 4,500 people will qualify for the package.

Veterans, however, say the Canadian government is using the compensation, which is only available to victims of U.S. spraying in 1966-67, to divert attention from a larger issue.

Between 1956-1984, the Canadian military sprayed 1,328,767 litres of chemical defoliants on 181,038 acres (an acre is slightly smaller than a football field) of Base Gagetown, including Agent Orange, Agent White and Agent Purple, according to a 1985 declassified briefing to the New Brunswick provincial government obtained by IPS through Canada's Access to Information Act.

'Restricting [compensation] payments to a few weeks in 1966-67 is dishonest,' said Tony Merchant, a lawyer representing some 3,000 veterans and civilians in a class action lawsuit against the companies who manufactured Agent Orange, including Dow Chemical and Monsanto, and the Canadian government.

'If the companies created dangerous products that hurt people than those companies are responsible,' Art Connolly, a military veteran and vice president of the Agent Orange Association of Canada, told IPS.

Connolly says the recent compensation package is 'part of a government campaign to bewilder, bedazzle and confuse.'

Veterans groups are pushing for a full public inquiry into the spraying of defoliants and compensation for all affected people, not just those who were sprayed in 1966-67.

In 1985, Dow Chemical and other firms paid 180 million dollars to U.S. veterans of the Vietnam War, settling a class action lawsuit. However, both Monsanto and Dow still deny Agent Orange is dangerous.

'When we allowed Americans to spray Agent Orange on a Canadian Base in 1966, the U.S. Congress had passed a law barring the spraying of Agent Orange on military bases in the U.S.' Merchant told IPS. 'The problems with these defoliants were known and appropriate care wasn't taken.'

In April 2007, the British government awarded a special pension to Keith Pilmoor, a British solider, who said exposure to Agent Orange at Canada's Base Gagetown in 1966 left him sick for decades.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) in the United States compensates U.S. service members who may have been exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War for health conditions including chloracne, Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, respiratory cancers (lung, bronchus, larynx and trachea), soft-tissue sarcoma, type 2 diabetes and prostate cancer.

Peter Stoffer, Veterans Affairs critic for Canada's New Democratic Party (social democrats), called the compensation package 'political perjury'.

'It is unconscionable that you can treat veterans and civilians in this manner,' Stoffer told IPS. 'Spraying took place in the 50s, 60s and 70s, not just in 1966-67.'

Canadian Agent Orange survivors have been in close contact with their Vietnamese counterparts.

In a 2006 interview in Vietnam, Le Duc, manager of the Ho Chi Minh City Agent Orange Association, told IPS, 'I call on the Canadian people to work with the Vietnamese people to take on the American chemical companies.'

(END/2007)

 

[Frank Sampson]

I was in the US Army 1963-1966, I was with the 1st. Cav. Div, I got agent orange in Vietnam, I have Diabetes and low white cells, if I get ant type of infection and a fever of 101.5 I have to go to the hospital, the VA only gives 20% for this disability, and they only recognized this problem about 5 years or more....

 

[Sandy Skipton]

A letter posted on the internet concerning the trials and heart ache of applying for the compensation package.... The package was supposed to help those that are sick... is it?

The 3 forms of different rare cancers my siblings have are not covered, I
have seen mention of at least one of them on the U.S. site referred
to on the Veteran Affairs website. They state further study is recommended
in 2002 since it is so difficult to associate rare forms to a population study
because there is just not enough cases to be conclusive.
             
The fact one brother has passed and one is currently undergoing chemo and my
sister is heavily medicated to counteract the seizures from the scars of her
brain tumor 20 years ago just do not fit the guidelines of compensation is ridiculous,
I feel for all the vets and families that do not meet the strictest of guidelines.
 
Strange thing is though two of my older brothers( one on chemo ) and my
mother have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and do qualify.
     
OK we will pay for the Type 2 Diabetes as a potoential link but in no way
will we acknowledge 3 different forms of rare cancers.
Let me see now.... 2 + 2 = ?? Tough question I guess.

Today I called the HELP LINE to ask the best way to prove they lived in
Gagetown at the time stating I have my Fathers( Deceased) military records
and on one "Personal History Form" it is dated Sept. 1967. States my Father
moved there in February 67 and names his Wife and her address as the same
clearly stating Oromocto.

This is proof my parents were there in one of the years during spraying.
Response: Well that record only officially identifies your Father as being
there we would need more proof for your mother and brothers.
   
We cannot go inot your fathers files without a signed waiver from him.
You can send what you have but we will require more like church records
or something proving they were there.
         
WE WERE ARMY....YOU HAVE THE RECORDS.

Is this an exercise in making it as difficult as possible for the few who do qualify
to qualify?
 
As many people do, all of my family live in a different province let alone a different town.
The hospital we all attended was military as well. They are eliminating scores of
people who will not be able to prove they were there in 67.
I for an example was 2 1/2 years old fresh from Germany, what record would I
have other than the army records.
       
We did not attend church. What about spouses or caregivers of deceased
they do not have the rights to have access to there loved ones Service
Records. How ridiculous can this get when you cannot verify the family
of these veterans were there in there SERVICE RECORDS because they are not
alive to sign on it?
   
You are asking the sick and dying from around the country to call schools
and churches to look for 40 year old records when you have the answers
in your FILES.

SHAMEFUL! SHAMEFUL! SHAMEFUL!