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CFB Gagetown - Toxic Chemicals - 1956-1984

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Author Topic: CFB Gagetown - Toxic Chemicals - 1956-1984  (Read 8974 times)
Kenneth H. Young
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« Reply #20 on: April 24, 2009, 09:08:18 am »

http://static.canadaeast.com/archives/postgazette/20090425/XFP0425A0664.pdf

April 24, 2009

 

Halifax writer releases book about defoliant spraying at CFB Gagetown

 

By GILLIAN CHRISTIE

This Week

 

A Halifax writer has released a book all about the defoliant spraying that has taken place at CFB Gagetown. Author Chris Arsenault’s book, Blowback: A Canadian History of Agent Orange and the War at Home was officially released in March and he made an appearance at Sharla Books in theOromocto Mall last Saturday where he signed copies and spoke to the local residents he wrote this story about.

 

When Arsenault was first approached to write this story, it was originally intended to be a magazine piece. Upon further investigation, and the discovery of more information, he quickly realized there was more to this story than one article would allow room for.

 

This book came out of an idea Arsenault said he pitched to the editor of This magazine on Canadian veterans and the Spanish Civil War. That editor came back with the more local Agent Orange idea.

 

“After I began doing interviews and especially after going to Enniskillen and seeing that place, I realized this was a huge issue. It wasn’t just one story and it wasn’t just some mistake that happened a long time ago,” Arsenault said.

 

He said he couldn’t overlook other issues pertaining to pesticide spraying and environmental control as well as foreign wars, Canada’s role in the world and the treatment of veterans by the Forces that they serve.

 

Arsenault said he then realized after writing the feature-lengthy magazine piece he wanted to do more digging on his own and keep writing this story. Much of his research has stemmed from Freedom of Information Act requests. Because of the amount of time he knew this was going to take, he decided to turn the project into a book. Arsenault spent the better part of a couple of years compiling information.

 

He said he was surprised at how blatant some of the information that he came across really is. “I found minutes of one meeting of the Defence Research Board of Canada from May 1966 which showed that senior officials in Ottawa knew that ‘dangerous and unregistered’ herbicides were being used at the base,” Arsenault said.

 

“I think that’s the biggest contribution I’ve made because up until now, the general idea was that 2,4-D and 2, 4, 5-T were legally registered chemicals in Canada. But what I’ve seen, actually, is that they knew unregistered chemicals were used. Those weren’t the only chemicals at all.”

 

The idea that those were registered and therefore nobody’s at fault, I tried to show that that’s actually not the case and when you read these minutes, how can you guys not change your policy based on that,” he said.

 

Arsenault said he’s pleased with the response he’s gotten from the book so far. He tried hard to maintain the integrity of his sources and have them tell their own stories through him. Arsenault said he wanted to continue in the research and exposure of this issue and add to the already incalculable amount of work done by a lot of military families, civilians and other journalists.

 

“My first goal that I wanted to do was compile all the information. I think having a book lends credibility to an issue,” Arsenault said. “I wanted to try to find new information and goal three was I just wanted to tell the story of people who were involved in this.”
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« Reply #21 on: April 24, 2009, 12:07:56 pm »

Well, i wonder what the Gov is going to do now.. the facts are out there for all toread and regurgitate .. likely with disgust...i hope they , Gov, will finally do what is right and get the whole truth out, and proper assistance to the victims.. ALL THE VICTIMS, AND FAMILIES....ranrad
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« Reply #22 on: April 24, 2009, 11:26:10 pm »

Please send Letters of support to gary1@telus.net

Come on guys, this is unbelievable. So far we only have 16 letters of support for our march to Minister of Veterans Affairs Greg Thompsons office on the 19th of may. Most from my family and friends and 7 from US soldiers.

How can the Canadian soldier be so whipped that the US military even out does them in a Canadian Protest for Canadian Spraying of Toxic Chemicals at and Canadian Base, CFB Gagetown New Brunswick?

Are we Canadian soldiers so used of being treated as lab rats that we are going to sit back and take it like good little rats or are we going to stand up and be counted like real men, real soldiers. Every letter written is normally counted as 100 who didn't bother.
*****************

Example letter.

Mr. Greg Thompson.
I wish to add my name to those demanding a full public and judicial inquiry into the 28 years of the toxic chemical defoliation Program at CFB Gagetown from 1956 through 1984.

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« Reply #23 on: April 25, 2009, 01:14:33 pm »

Tell your buds about this guys, lets get those letters in, it means so much to so many victims.. and it could be you..get em in... rong
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« Reply #24 on: May 01, 2009, 08:14:49 am »



http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/653237

Protest planned for border town

Published Friday May 1st, 2009

Derwin Gowan
Telegraph-Journal

ST. STEPHEN - Protesters from across Canada will come to St. Stephen May 19 to demand a public judicial inquiry into spraying chemical defoliants at CFB Gagetown, says a Canadian Forces veteran who is organizing the demonstration.

Gary Goode said the group will include former soldiers, environmentalists and politicians. They will assemble at the St. Croix Public Library parking lot and march up Milltown Boulevard to the New Brunswick Southwest constituency office of Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson.

"I think you're going to be quite surprised what's going to happen there," Goode said by telephone Thursday from Fernie, B.C.

The lineup of speakers includes Peter Stoffer, New Democratic Party MP for Sackville-Eastern shore in Nova Scotia, as well as Conservation Council of New Brunswick officials David Coon of Waweig and Inka Milewski of Miramichi.

The group Veterans Widows on the Warpath will attend, Goode said.

The group will demand a public judicial inquiry into what Goode calls a cover-up related to the health effects of spraying chemicals to kill vegetation in the training areas at CFB Gagetown over 30 years from the 1950s to the 1980s.

"It was a whitewash to limit our government's liability and culpability," Goode said.

These chemicals - Agent Orange, Agent Purple and others - were different formulations of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T that released other chemicals called dioxins that cause cancer and other health problems.

Goode, a native of Springhill, N.S., served three years in the Canadian Army, all with the Second Battalion, Black Watch Regiment of Canada, at CFB Gagetown from 1967 to 1970.

In 1966 and 1967, Canadian authorities allowed Americans to spray defoliants at CFB Gagetown, Goode said.

He left the army and operated heavy equipment in Alberta and British Columbia.

He began to have trouble with pneumonia in 2003 and doctors diagnosed a tumour on his right lung in March 2005. The lung was removed a month later.

He joined the class action lawsuit underway now.

In Goode's view, Thompson did not keep promises he made as an opposition MP to deal squarely with victims of chemical spraying, and has not moved on a full inquiry. For this reason the group chose to demonstrate outside his St. Stephen office.

 
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« Reply #25 on: May 01, 2009, 11:41:18 am »

The bottom line is that victims have not been treated fairly... partly , and maybe largely because the , now , Minister responsible .. HAS NOT KEPT HIS PROMISE...i have no right to judge him.. perhaps he has good reasons for letting his constituents down.. what they could be , i cannot imagine...God will be his judge...hmmm.. i wouldnt want to be in his shoes , come judgement day...Huh rong
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« Reply #26 on: May 01, 2009, 12:26:12 pm »

Dear Mr.Ignatieff,
 
I am one of the many Veterans who had their lives and health altered at CFB Gagetown because of the numerous toxic chemical defoliants used there. This has continued to be a problem for many reasons, not the least of which may have more to do with MP's and past PM's parents and/or relatives involvement in portfolios which should have stopped the spraying or taken care of its victims.
 
You sir are in the enviable position of not only not having been in government while the atrocity was taking place but also that there is to my knowledge non of your family involved in what transpired in CFB Gagetown between 1956 and 1984. You may be one of the only political leaders today who can fix this issue without any need to see if you would be trashing your own family or if there might be some guilt that would fall at your own feet.
 
Having said this I wonder why you and your office hasn't come out in support of the Canadian Veterans who have been affected by what can only be described as indiscriminate chemical use and a somewhat shoddy chemical registration process which took place in the 50's through the 80's.
 
The general attitude that because it is before the courts, Ottawa won't even talk about it is somewhat backwards because if Ottawa had bothered to take care of the victims, it wouldn't even be before the courts. Soldiers love their country and are very reluctant to take Ottawa to court but have been left with no other course of action. Ottawa has refused to even acknowledge that they made an honest mistake, VAC has because of this refused any Gagetown Chemical pension clamed, Workman's comp and CPP refuse to deal with the problem while many soldiers die or loose everything they have spent a lifetime to achieve due to the costs of medications and other medical expenses.
 
There are somewhere in the neighborhood of one million voters who are going to vote with veterans issues in mind. More 440,000 for the Gagetown issue alone. It would seem prudent for you to state your position on Veterans issues and most notably the CFB Gagetown issue if you wish any of these votes to go your way in the up coming or next Federal election.
 
Remember Canada is watching you, in fact on the Gagetown issue the whole world is watching.
 
 
Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (ret)
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« Reply #27 on: May 02, 2009, 01:22:22 pm »

Very well written Ken, and may Mr Ignatieff get his claws into this one and maybe getthings moving for all the victims..we ca only hope..rong
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« Reply #28 on: June 06, 2009, 08:24:03 am »

http://static.canadaeast.com/archives/postgazette/20090606/XFP0606A0164.pdf

SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2009

 

agent orange widow says protests won’t stop until there’s a resolution

 

Rally held in St. Stephen to demand full, public inquiry into toxic spraying

 

By GiLLiAn CHrisTie

This Week

 

The agent orange association of Canada organized a rally outside federal Veterans affairs Minister greg Thompson’s office in st. stephen to demand for one thing: a full, public inquiry into the toxic spraying at CFB gagetown between 1956 and 1984.

 

Fourteen members of the Military widows on a war path attended the rally, including founder Bette hudson from waasis. “i think a lot of attention was paid to the widows, actually,” hudson said. “we were there in a supportive capacity so that a united front was, sort of, shown.”

 

she said she is confident the message that they’re not going away was reiterated and heard that day.  “i do believe that somebody is listening and hopefully we’ll get our message out,” hudson said. “it won’t be dying down at all, not for the widows, because we will keep going on until we get some resolution. we want what they owe us; it’s as simple as that.”

 

This group of ladies has been excluded from the government’s ex gratia settlement for those who were affected by the toxic spraying at CFB gagetown during the summers of 1966 and 1967.

 

Their husbands had already died of illness caused by the spraying before the Feb. 6, 2006 date when the harper government assumed office. “They’re so busy paying out others that they’ve forgotten us. we’re going to fight on until we get a resolution and they have to realize that,” Hudson said. “we’re quite different because we’re all widows, we’ve all lost our husbands and we’ve been snubbed by ottawa. it’s time that they know that we are just not going away.”

 

she said, overall, the message of all who attended the rally and offered their voice to the cause was heard. “i think they definitely got their point across to which the government announced within 30 minutes that they were not going to have a public inquiry,” ,hudson said.

 

“That’s part of the arrogance. we can’t let it go and we’re not going to.” retired Cpl. ken Young travelled from nanaimo, B.C. to be at the rally last Tuesday. he is an active member of the agent orange association of Canada and said this rally was something he felt he had to be a part of. he said it wasn’t as attended as they would have liked, but despite a lower than anticipated number, they’re confident their message got out. “it was a very nice coalition of gagetown victims. That was nice to see,” Young said. “The funny thing is, the people of st. stephen were coming up to us and asking what we were doing. a lot of them had not even heard of agent orange being used in gagetown. The government, that’s the way they want it. if nobody knows about it, nobody’s going to complain.”

 

There was a large number of people who couldn’t do the walk but drove from the starting point to the minister’s office. Many are suffering from health issues that prevented them from being there at all. Young said this rally is just one of a number of projects planned to help elevate the awareness of this situation.

 

“This isn’t just a new Brunswick issue. The soldiers, by their very nature, came from all over the country and they were sent here,” Young said. “This is the combat arms school.” He said he’s sick of hearing the government’s excuses in limiting the payment to so few affected.

 

“Did they do their job when they registered [Agent Orange]?” he said. Another excuse Young doesn’t accept is the fact that the government claims they didn’t know the toxic dioxins were present in the chemicals they were spraying yet, contradicting themselves, have said that because the chemicals were produced in Canada they were made at a slower, safer rate and removed all of the harmful products before putting it into use.

 

“If I have a registered gun, does that mean I can shoot you?” Young said. Young said government reports have claimed both themselves and the chemical companies were not aware HCB and PCP dioxin in the chemicals.

 

“Why are they registering chemicals if they didn’t even know what’s in them?” he said. These Canadian chemicals were made in peace time so the manufacturers made it slower and there was less dioxin in it. If they didn’t know it was in there, how can they know they removed it? Why would they remove something they didn’t know was in it?” Young said.

 

“If I can figure that out, anyone can.” “There’s no going back. This has gone out of control,” he said. “The government has not even tried to deal with it. If anything, what they’ve done with the ex gratia payments, is they’ve tried to weasel it down to the smallest number of people they could possibly get away with paying, hoping it would go away. In doing so, they’ve insulted a great number of the people who were

involved.”

 

“When they came to power, they had the chance of cleaning it up without any guilt because they had absolutely nothing to do with it because it was the Progressive Conservatives and Liberal parties. For them to do what they’ve done, it was basically a big cover-up. They not only inherited but they’ve adopted the cover-up.”

 

next up for these protestors is a rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in October. Rally organizing group Agent Orange Association of Canada Inc.’s copresident Carol Brown Parker said they need to keep going in their quest to receive a full, public inquiry and they’re going to continue to do whatever they can to make that happen.

 

“There are so many people, even in this area, who don’t know or understand,” Brown Parker said. “There are a lot of misconceptions and they really highlighted it at the rally.” The AOAC has named June 15 as the deadline for the Greg Thompson to establish contact with them.

 

“I am willing to be a point person for an initial discussion on this topic and look forward to the Minister’s receptiveness,” Brown Parker said. “I’ll be waiting for Greg Thompson to communicate with me. I want a face-to-face, one on one conference to discuss the options and how we are going to go from here. It’s not a dead issue. Far from it.”

 

“I’m not looking for money,” she said. “I’m looking for that full, judicial inquiry. We need them to admit what was happening.”

 
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« Reply #29 on: June 06, 2009, 01:13:36 pm »

Judgemnet Day will come upon you Government.. that is all i can say..it will come, for your treatment of the victims of this Canadian Tragedy.. and i believe you are running out of time...rong
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« Reply #30 on: June 07, 2009, 11:33:25 am »

Well Rong, I maybe naively and I now know mistakenly expected most if not all Veterans to flock to the cause of other Vet's mistreatment by Ottawa. I posted many times in many military forums asking that if they could not attend our Protest - Rally that they would at least send letters of support for our demands for a full public and judicial inquiry.

Five was all that we received from Military forums members. We received twelve from US Vets and even three from Australia. The rest were from Victims and civilians. The Black Watch didn't even show up and the Canadian Legion didn't either. The US Legion on the other hand sent Richard Pelletier, a Service Officer of the American Legion, who supported the Canadian Victims as if they were US veterans and members of the American Legion. He was quick to denounce both the US and Canadian governments for stalling and the misinformation that has been the norm in regards to the Rainbow Chemicals.

Except for the Story above which I posted yesterday we were given more newspaper space in Australia, the US and Great Britain then we even received in eastern Canada.

Our next step will be to have a protest in Ottawa sometime in October, when the house returns. I will keep you all informed as things go along and as before I ask all veterans regardless of which veterans issue you are protesting, to accompany us.

If we do not stand together we will each of us fail alone. Ottawa doesn't give much thought to veterans issues because we are not even considered a voting block and so make no difference to Ottawa. If we can't put together more then 75 protesters in Ottawa, I doubt we will ever be listened to by politicians.

Ottawa has been in rescent months been complaining about a Victoria Cross going up for auction and in fact paid over $250,000 to keep it in Canada. They claim that it is an important part of Canadian Military History which Canada must preserve, yet the History of Gagetown and as many as 440,000 soldires contaminated by their own government, is dying along with the soldiers killed by the chemicals used there.

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« Reply #31 on: September 23, 2009, 11:30:31 pm »

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/09/23/nl-agent-orange-923.html

Dismiss Agent Orange lawsuit, N.L. court urged

September 23, 2009 | 8:30 PM AT

CBC News

The federal government and two chemical companies went to court Wednesday in a bid to stop a class-action lawsuit launched by people who claim they developed cancer after being exposed to Agent Orange at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick.

The suit, brought by more than 1,700 people from across the country as well as 35 from the province, was certified in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador trial division.

On Wednesday, lawyers representing federal Attorney General Rob Nicholson, Minister of National Defence Peter Mackay , the Dow Chemical Company and the Pharmacia Corp. were in a St. John's courtroom seeking to have the certification order overturned.

The plaintiffs say they have been diagnosed with cancers including leukemia, Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma because of their exposure to Agent Orange at Gagetown between 1956 and 2004.

"All the time I was at Gagetown was out in the field training — you're sleeping on the ground, you are eating your hard rations … you're eating with your hands, so basically your ingesting it," said retired soldier John Mallard, who is convinced his cancer stemmed from exposure to the herbicide at Gagetown."You're sleeping in it, you're burning bush to keep warm, so you're inhaling it."

Retired Brig.-Gen. Ed Ring, a Newfoundlander and another of the plaintiffs, was outraged by the bid to stop the suit.

"I am appalled that we have large organizations like the federal government and these chemical companies trying to deny us the opportunity to even have our case heard in court," he said.

The federal government and the companies maintain Agent Orange — a herbicide developed in the United States for use in the Vietnam war — was only one of 23 chemicals sprayed on the base, so there is no way to determine who was exposed to which chemical and for how long.

They also say there's not enough common ground among the ailments suffered by the plaintiffs to justify a class-action suit.

In September of 2007 the federal government announced a $96-million compensation package for people exposed to the herbicide at Gagetown —a $20,000 payout to anyone who qualified for it.

Members of the class-action suit refused to accept the settlement.

Hearings are scheduled to continue in St. John's Thursday.

 
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« Reply #32 on: September 25, 2009, 08:57:08 am »

A story about CFB Gagetown and how Ottawa and the chemical companies are trying to get it dismissed before it ever gets started, sighting among other things that there is little if any interest, is I am afraid being born out by the comments and responses so far.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/09/23/nl-agent-orange-923.html

Three days now and so far only 31 comments with the people who agreed at  68. Wile stories of polygamy, Hells Angles, and almost every other story are up in the thousands of comments, leaves even me totally disheartened and depressed. If we can not get along, if the military or veterans issue are different, if we came for different regiments and if we became ill in different years, who cares, but if we can't or won't stand up for ourselves and together, what in the heck makes you think for a minute that others in this country will for us.

Ottawa is depending on the fact that old veterans can't agree on the time of day let alone get organized enough to show a united front and any Veterans issue. Why can they get away with robbing our pension fund, why can the decrease veterans disability pensions under the "one time $250,000 dollar", why can they claw back your CPP when you reach 65 and why are all the other veterans issues on the back burner? Because we let them put them there. We still vote for the A-- holes who vote against veterans issues, we don't speak up and by the looks of the comments on this story, we don't even care.

If the victims of this Gagetown atrocity as well as too many other veterans issues to bother write here are too dammed self centered, too lazy, too fed up and too uncaring to even write a comment which is free to do so, well I can fully understand why the rest of Canada has said to hell with us and why Ottawa has taken the route that they have. All Ottawa has to do is stall a bit more and the problem will go away all on its own.

Stand up for yourselves or stop moaning, bitching and complaining how badly you were treated by Ottawa, DND and the VAC. That no body gives a dammed is the fault of each and every one of the, "let's just sit around and drink beer, bitch and wait and see what happens people," and they have no one to blame but themselves. They can also stop asking why no one gives a dammed and why no body does the right thing. What they can do is look in a mirror and point the finger at where a lot of the blame belongs.

PS: If you don't have your own computer use a friends, but bitch where and when it counts.


Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (ret)
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« Reply #33 on: September 27, 2009, 07:17:04 pm »

News in general is not getting out to Canadians.Why??? Because our FedGov is preventing it. Cdns do not even get info on Afganistan, thos they  are spending 10s of Billions of taxpayers dollars.. How can Cdn voters make an informed decision on what they feel about our mission there, when they get very little info.. How you say.. thru the TriLateral Commission ..they control the whole dang world.. how.. because their members...elected by themselves are the owners and CEOs of all the major corporations...Mr Harper , jackass that he is, is merely a puppet.. you and i are allowed to elect.. democrataclly , only to be comntrolled by a group , elected only amongst themselves.. why not check it out on line.. and have a chat with Rona Ambrose , a current MP and Minister .. she was formerly with the Tri Lateral....as a super brain i think... i dont know what we can do.. we yak , we scream.. they dont give a damn.. maybe we need to start excluding the PM etc from the National Remembrance Service.. protocol be damned.. nothing is written in stone...rong
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« Reply #34 on: September 29, 2009, 03:48:34 pm »

CFB Gagetown Class Actions in Jeopardy
 
Ottawa's and their (what I consider) questionable third partied Dow and Pharmacia's win in the New Brunswick class action courts against Spalding, blocking Gagetown victims from even launching a class action law suit in New Brunswick, has embolden them to try the same in Newfoundland, using pretty much the same arguments.
 
In most ways, Dow and Monsanto (Pharmacia) make the same argument about manageability and lack of commonality to each court.  If their appeal is allowed in Newfoundland and certification is dismissed in Saskatchewan, subject to appeals, class members would have to bring their own individual actions or not sue at all.

 

It is hard for me to personally understand how Ottawa and the chemical industry can claim in one court that they believe there should only be one court case and that being in New Brunswick and then they use all means to prevent that very same New Brunswick certification. I am also having trouble with Dow and Monsanto (Paramecia) even being in this case at all. We never sued them and even Ottawa has only brought them in as third parties concerning the 1966 and 67, US chemical use in Gagetown. Both Dow and Pharmacia have denied providing the agent orange that was used in 1966/67, so why are they allowed to argue the remaining 29 years and over 3 million pounds/liters and the Canadian use of toxic pesticides at Base Gagetown?

 

The problem lies in the detail, much of which is under a court order and can not be made public as of yet but basically it boils down to... If the Victims and general public don't start to make their voices and opinions heard, on how both the veterans and civilians are being done by in this case, if we continue to allow our Government to use our own unlimited amounts of Tax dollars to defeat us in court, if we continue to allow Ottawa to choose which and even if they will compensate people for their government mistakes and if we continue to be lead quietly like sheep to the slaughter, Canada is doomed to the dictatorship we ourselves vote in... and what's more, we will deserver it.

 
 
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« Reply #35 on: September 30, 2009, 02:51:06 pm »

Right on Ken, i couldnt agree with you more. We need to get rid of the cowardly dictators now running this country and stealing people blind..I would request the Auditor General to check out the expenditures of the Government , for nothing more than their own egos..it has nothing to do with whats best for all...rong
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« Reply #36 on: December 05, 2009, 03:50:06 pm »

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/archive/2009/12/03/liberals-introduce-parliamentary-motion-calling-on-government-to-help-agent-orange-victims.aspx?CommentPosted=true#commentmessage

 Found in the Ottawa Citizen

LIBERALS INTRODUCE PARLIAMENTARY MOTION CALLING ON GOVERNMENT TO HELP AGENT ORANGE VICTIMS

 

By Dave Pugliese Thu, Dec 3 2009 COMMENTS(2) David Pugliese’s Defence Watch

 Filed under: Agent Orange, CFB Gagetown

 

Liberal Deputy House Leader, Marlene Jennings has introduced a motion calling on the Conservative government to assist those Canadians who were affected by the use of Agent Orange.

 

Press release from Jennings’ office:

 

“Between 1956 and 1984, countless Canadians have been exposed to the effects of toxic herbicides including Agent Orange, Agent Purple and Agent White,” said Mrs. Jennings. “It is the duty of this government to rectify this situation and to assist these victims and their families.”

 

Agent Orange is a highly toxic chemical herbicide that when used on plants, causes their leaves to fall off. Although it commonly used by the United States during the Vietnam War, according to documents obtained through the Access to Information Act in 2005, over three million litres of these toxic herbicides were sprayed as part of a testing program in the area surrounding Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, in New Brunswick, between 1956 and 1984.

 

“Approximately 315,000 Canadian soldiers trained at CFB Gagetown during this period of time,” said Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal Critic for National Defence. “Hundreds of thousands of civilians, who used this training area for recreation, may also have also been exposed to these chemicals.”

 

Exposure to Agent Orange has been linked to numerous medical diseases, including various forms of cancer, tumours, and mental and physical disabilities.  Victims, and their children, have repeatedly demanded that the federal government hold a full public inquiry on the issue.

 

Mrs. Jennings’ motion, which is endorsed by the Agent Orange Association of Canada Inc., calls upon the government to conduct this inquiry. In particular, the motion demands that the federal government use the remaining $48 million previously allocated for ex-gratia payments to Agent Orange victims for an inquiry, as well as that this money be used for the medical testing of victims.

 

Mr. Rob Oliphant, who is the Liberal Critic for Veterans Affairs, expressed his support for the motion. “The Prime Minister, in 2006, promised to conduct an investigation into this matter. Now, almost four years later, victims continue to wait, while this government continues to sit on its hands,” said Mr. Oliphant.

 

Mrs. Jennings has reiterated her support for the victims. “These individuals were serving their country, and now are experiencing life-threatening medical conditions,” said Mrs. Jennings. “The Harper government has an obligation to get to the bottom of this issue and to stand up for all victims of this tragedy.”

 

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 Marilynn Kirchgessner

PM Harper stood up in Woodstock, N.B in January, 2006 and in his pre-election speech promised, once elected, compensation for EVERYONE exposed to the SPRAYING FROM 1956-1984.  Not just for exposure to Agent Orange but our exposure to all the other just as deadly herbicides that DND sprayed during those 28 years.  Once elected, he did not do this.  He lied.  Instead, he made this an American issue by allowing compensation to only 2% of the people exposed to the few gallons of Agent Orange sprayed for 7 days in 1966 and 1967 by the U.S military.  What about the thousands of victims, both military and civilian, who were exposed to these deadly herbicides year in and year out for 28 years?  What about the military who trained there during those years and the civilians who live in communities surrounding the Base who were exposed? These people are sick, dying and too many have died already.  Nor has DND taken responsibility for what they did to.  We DEMAND a public inquiry so that the magnitude of what happened at Gagetown will be told to the world and the government will take responsibility for what they did and do the right thing!  We demand compensation for ALL exposed to ALL the chemicals sprayed during those 28 years by DND, as promised by Harper!

December 04, 2009

 

 

Kenneth H Young

Although the Liberal party of Canada under Mr. Martin had the chance to do exactly what Liberal Deputy House Leader Marlene Jennings is asking for here, they refused at the time when the Conservative Party MP's while in opposition and lead by Greg Thompson rants in both the House of Commons and the Senate Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs asked, no demanded the very same. Once in power absolutely nothing was done. Let's face it ex-gratia payments, where Ottawa accepts absolutely no guilt or responsibility for what they did to Canadian Soldiers, are nothing more then blood and hush money, which hasn't worked.

 

I myself wrote to the leaders and Veterans Affairs critic of all opposition parties requesting their Parties position on CFB Gagetown Victims and to date have only received replies from Peter Stoffer Veterans Affairs critic for the NDP, regardless of this the Agent Orange Association of BC. also endorses this motion.

 

We would have liked to see Mr. Ignatieff being a lot more vocal and supportive of this motion and maybe even joining hands with the NDP, and Block in a united front on this issue. However most of the Liberal MP's on the committee having just shot down bill C201 which would have benefited all veterans, there is much doubt in the minds of all veterans as to the sincerity of Liberal Party towards Veterans issues as well as this motion. I guess it is up to the Liberal Party to prove me wrong, or is this just another Stephen Harper-type Woodstock speech. But I will admit just like the Harper's speech, it looks good in print.

 

Only time will tell if this is too little too late to win the hearts and minds of Veterans and of course their over 600,000 votes. I suppose that if there is a full public and judicial inquiry in progress or if the government was forced to actually carry out what Mr. Harper promised in his Woodstock speech, it would go a long way to recover many of the life-long Liberals that the Party lost over the mishandling of this issue.

 

Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (ret)

 
 
 
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Kenneth H. Young
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« Reply #37 on: December 05, 2009, 03:51:15 pm »

Subject: Marlene Jennings holds News Conference on Agent Orange Motion


MEDIA ADVISORY

 

For Immediate Release

December 3, 2009

 

Marlene Jennings holds News Conference on Agent Orange Motion

 

OTTAWA - Liberal Deputy House Leader, the Honourable Marlene Jennings, will hold a news conference to discuss her recent motion calling on the Conservative government to hold a full public inquiry for the victims of Agent Orange.

 

Date:               December 8, 2009

Time:              11:00 a.m.

Location:        National Press Theatre, 150 Wellington Street, Ottawa

Who:               The Honourable Marlene Jennings, P.C., M.P.,

Deputy House Leader for the Official Opposition and

Liberal Critic for Democratic Reform and Government Ethics

 

                        The Honourable Ujjal Dosanjh, P.C., M.P.

                                    Liberal Critic for National Defence

 

                        Mr. Rob Oliphant, M.P.

                                    Liberal Critic for Veterans Affairs

 

                        Ms. Carol Brown Parker

                                    Agent Orange Association of Canada, Inc.

 

The National Press Theatre is only accessible to journalists accredited through the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

 

http://marlenejennings.liberal.ca/en/news/n17054_jennings-introduces-motion-on-behalf-of-agent-orange-victims           

 
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« Reply #38 on: December 14, 2009, 01:49:36 pm »

Well Ken , while i continue to back you all who have been posoneed by our own government, i no longer believe in anything ANY Liberal says.. they lost all credoibility with ne when they chose to back Bill C-201 , for 2 votes in the House, and then turned tables on the committee vote , and eklected to abstain.. which was nothing more than VOTING WITH THE CONSERVATIVES..OBVIOUSLY DUE TO SOME BACK ROOM DEAL.. ..NO> NO.. the LIBERALS ARE DEAD IN THE WATER WITH ME.. I CALL FOR ALL OF THEM TO RESIGN AND GO DO SOMETHING ELSE.. THEY ARE TURNCOATS.. AND I AWARD THEM ALL A WHITE FEATHER FOR THEIR COWARDICE,..RONG
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« Reply #39 on: January 11, 2010, 05:01:00 pm »

from our lawyers in the clas action law suit.

From: Casey Churko
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 2:16 PM
To: 'Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (ret)'
Subject: RE: Question


Justice Zarzeczny dismissed the certification motion in Saskatchewan.  He said how great he thought Justice McNally’s reasons were in New Brunswick and followed his reasoning there – i.e. too  many individual issues regarding who was there, where, and when, and how they were potentially exposed. 

 

We applied for leave to appeal, and the motion is currently scheduled to be heard in the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal on February 24, 2010, but the Government is trying to adjourn.  If the motion is dismissed, we may have to advance the actions in other provinces in a series of smaller class actions rather than one large national class action. 

 

If the Newfoundland Court of Appeal allows the government’s appeal on similar reasoning, or if we succeed and the Supreme Court of Canada overturns the NLCA, then class members may have to file their own actions or not sue at all.  Mr. Merchant, Q.C. will decide how to advance the various class actions in the different courts as the decisions come in. 

 

Class members may want to now file individual actions because of how long the process takes.  I estimate at least another year before there is greater finality for or against whether and where any class action may proceed.

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