May 19, 2007
From: Gail Radford-Ross
WASHINGTON, May 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
The U.S. government received a $124 million payment today from Hercules
Incorporated to repaycosts the EPA incurred in cleaning up the Vertac Chemical
and Jacksonville Landfill Superfund Sites in Jacksonville, Ark., the Justice Department and
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced.
A judgment issued by Eastern District of Arkansas in 2005 found
Hercules and Chemtura Canada Co., formerly known as Uniroyal Chemical Ltd.,
liable for all Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability (CERCLA) response action costs incurred by the EPA at the sites.
Chemtura paid $3,068,974.76 to the United States on May 17, 2007, for a
total payment by the two companies of $127,561,245.76.
_______________
May 18, 2007From: Wayne Coady
Hi Art:
This is why I have been pushing for the Senate of Canada to strike a committee, the "government" of Canada has the right as an employer to intervene on her behalf. I spoke with the Office of Leader of the Senate yesterday and requested a reply to my letter dated April 14.
http://waynecoady.blogspot.com/2007/05/april-14-2007-senate-of-canada-280-f.html.
__________________
May 17, 2007
NB WHSCC Handling of Agent Orange Claims by Civilians.
A civilian lady returned to CFB Gagetown in 1962 when her husband's rotation from Germany brought her back to Oromocto. She worked at CFB Gagetown as a kitchen helper during the '60/70's. In 1993 she had a kidney removed and in 1996 had a bowel removed - both due to cancer.
She applied to Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission of New Brunwick (WHSCC) claiming exposure to Agent Orange while employed at CFB Gagetown.
This is the text of the letter she received:
December 18, 2006
Refer to Claim Number ******
This will acknowledge receipt of your claim for exposure to Agent Orange while employed with CFB Gagetown.
Please be advised that your file has been extensively reviewed by myself as well as a WHSCC Medical Advisor and has been adjudicated in accordance with the Government Employees Compensation Act (GECA) and Policy 21-011, Federal Government Employees. I regret to inform you that your application for benefits has been denied, as it does not meet the requirements of Section 4(1) of the GECA.
Section 4(1) of the GECA establishes four tests for the entitlement to compensation:
* must be an employee
* there must be personal injury or death
* it must be caused by an accident
* it must arise out of and in the course of the employment
According to the information provided, you were employed with CFB Gagetown as a kitchen helper. You have indicated that your were employed during the 1960's. However, your employer has confirmed your employment during the following periods: Feb 17, 1968 to April 1968, June 13, 1974 to August 30, 1974 and November 28, 1974 to March 13, 1976.
In order to establish a claim for an occupational disease related to exposure to Agent Orange, there must be evidence of direct contact/exposure to Agent Orange, medical evidence that a disease exists and lastly, that the recognized body of medical opinion and medical literature supports a relationship between the direct contact/exposure to Agent Orange and the disease entity. Based on the evidence on file, I regret to advise you that your application does not meet these requirements.
Firstly, regarding evidence of direct contact/exposure to Agent Orange, the facts show that the spraying of Agent Orange at Base Gagetown was isolated to a three-day period in June 1966 and a four-day period in June 1967. As noted earlier, your employer has no record of your employment during this period. In addition, your employment as a kitchen helper would not have resulted in any direct contact/expore to Agent Orange.
Secondly, with respect to medical opinion and literature supporting a relationship between direct contact/exposure to Agent Orange and the disease entity, the Commission determined that there is no confirmed causal association between Agent Orange exposure and kidney or bowel cancer.
Finally, in accordance with Policy 21-011, Federal Government Employees, the Commission must also weigh all of the evidence on file to determine based on a balance of probabilities whether or not the evidence supports that the medical condition arose out of employment.
I have concluded in consultation with our Medical Adviser, that the weight of the evidence on file does not support that your medical condition was the result of your employment. As previously mentioned, there is not evidence on file to support direct contact/exposure to Agent Orange and there is no confirmed causal association between Agent Orange exposure and your medical condition.
Consequently, due to the reasons listed above, your claim cannot be accepted as there is no evidence of personal injury by accident having arisen out of and in the course of employment as required by Section 4(1) of GECA.
If this decision is not clear, please contact me at (506) 738-4025 or toll free 1-800-222-9775 and I will discuss it with you. If you have new information which may affect this decision, please forward it to me and your claim will be re-examined.
If you understand but do not agree with this decision, you have ONE YEAR from the date of this letter to exercise your right to appeal. An appeal must be submitted in writing to the Appeals Tribunal, Attention: Registar, P.O. Box 160, Saint John, New Brunswick, E2L 3X9.
The above is an example of what victims of the CFB Gagetown defoliant spraying have to face. It is all part and parcel of the federal government's "smoke and mirrors" tactic of confusion and bewilderment.
The federal government, Department of National Defence and Veteran Affairs have made a concentrated effort to focus on "Agent Orange" by continually repeating that "Agent Orange at Base Gagetown was isolated to a three-day period in June 1966 and a four-day period in June 1967."
By doing this they shift the focus from the 1.3 million litres and over 1 million kgs of dry chemicals containing dioxin and Hexachlorobenzene that was sprayed at Gagetown between 1956 to 1984. DND and the federal government were and still are responsible for the herbicide spraying progam at Gagetown.
Would WHSCC have refused this applicant for the same reason if instead the applicant had said their illness was due to "defoliant spraying" instead of "agent orange"? No WHSCC merely would have said that her claim did not fit into the four criteria - mainly that it was not an accident. They would be right in that it was not an accident. It was a deliberate calculated program that went on for 28 years!
It is coming on 2 years since this story regarding the Gagetown sprayings appeared in the media and there have been 5 pensions that were granted from Veteran Affairs. It has been over a year since Stephen Harper promised to provide medical testing and compensation to victims of toxic herbicide spraying by Canada's armed forces at CFB Gagetown. Still they wait. Apparently Mr. Harper broke that promise.
When will the people of this country realize what is happening here? When will all MPs of this country stand together and make this government do the right thing?
The turth is coming.
-Art
________________
May 17, 2007
From: Paul Thompson
Criminals Treated Better by Government
There is something seriously wrong with Canada ’s standards and system of treatment toward its people, when criminals live a better life behind bars than citizens in our communities. Criminals are guaranteed three meals a day, free Health Care, (including prescription drugs), clothing, housing and no burden of paying taxes. Compared to the estimated one million veterans and civilians of the greatest chemical poisoning campaign in this country’s history, criminals are treated like royalty. No one being held in the Federal Prison system has been executed since the 60’s, however thousands of servicemen/women and civilians from the surrounding communities of CFB Gagetown have perished from the one Billion grams of chemicals the Government of Canada and DND dumped on them from 1956 to 1984.
As a matter of principal every politician and Military Officer responsible for this atrocious criminal act against their own people should be serving time beside such people in the prison system as murderers, rapists and child molesters. Justice will not be served until that day arrives.
Paul G. Thompson
_____________________
MAY 17, 2007
From: Kenneth Dobbie
Veterans back moves to sue Govt
The Daily Post - Rotorua,New Zealand
14.05.2007
By CHERIE TAYLOR
Central North Island Vietnam veterans are backing moves to sue the Government for its lack of action over Agent Orange exposure.
Local veterans say criminals get a better deal from the Government than they do and they support the Vietnam Veterans Association group, which has hired an Australian law firm to sue the Government and key ministers for $5 billion on behalf on New Zealand Vietnam veterans.
Vietnam veterans have battled governments for years for recognition of the effects of exposure to Agent Orange.
In December, the Government announced a $30 million compensation package for Vietnam vets suffering from illnesses after exposure to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam nearly 40 years ago.
However, only veterans suffering from five specific cancers and the skin condition chloracne will receive the $40,000 payout, while a further $25,000 is restricted to veterans' children suffering from spina bifida, cleft palate, cleft lip and two types of cancer.
Veterans suffering from cancers that have not been specified, as well as heart disease or diabetes, will be left to battle their illnesses without compensation.
Rotorua veteran Lou Phillips, who has bowel cancer, said it was about time the Government was honest. He has had to undergo three operations and two of his brothers who also fought in Vietnam, have died of cancer-related illnesses.
Mr Phillips may not be entitled to compensation but the 64-year-old is pleased to hear about the pending legal action.
"I'm glad it's being done. They have lied to us and denied everything all the way through. This way we will know just how much they have covered up and are holding back. Enough is enough."
Former Vietnam Veterans Association research officer John Moller, of Kawerau, said it was about time the Government listened to veterans and stopped denying they knew anything about the plight of soldiers sent to Vietnam.
Prisoners were receiving far higher payouts than the men who had served their country, returning only to die or face serious illnesses.
"Realistically, people in prison are getting $150,000 for being locked up for a few extra days and they pay $5.5 million to get rid of some TV boss they don't want, but they won't give these guys a fair deal. What the hell is going on?
Mr Moller said the Government's $30 million compensation package was laughable.
"The guys are fighters and they won't roll over and die."
________________________
May 16, 2007
From: Kelly Franklin
In November of 1957 a "Declaration of Common Purpose" was prepared
to form an alliance between the USA, the UK and Canada for Defence
Research. The name of this outfit was the Tripartite Technical
Cooperation Program, or TTCP (changed in 1965 when Australia and
New Zealand joined to The Technical Cooperation Program.) One of the
areas of collaboration was sub-committee E, the unit assigned
biological, radiological and chemical warfare. These are the
people who brought Agent Orange to your house.
Seeing as these five nations in the form of the TTCP are responsible
for a host of chemical horrors deliberately unleashed on millions
of people around the world, I propose a single effective remedy: sue
them. I believe their status is one of an international corporation
and, as such, they are surely one of the most culpable in the
world.
Interestingly, these same five nations count the most victims,
outside of Vietnam, as their own citizens. Citizens who have been
systematically lied to for decades.
Interestingly enough Kelly your proposal of suing the five is presently being studied and research is under way BY AOAC on precisely that.
-Art
___________________________
May 16, 2007
From: Kenneth Dobbie
Shameful treatment of test veterans
The Nelson Mail | Wednesday, 16 May 2007
Half a century ago, 550 New Zealand servicemen were sent to the Pacific during a British nuclear weapon testing programme. They were treated as lab rats: lined up on the decks of two frigates with inadequate protective clothing while massive hydrogen bombs were tested above the ground, the Nelson Mail said in an editorial on Wednesday.
Their emotions must have ranged from fear, through gung-ho bravado, to awe at the sheer power of the weaponry. Some later spoke of feeling the heat "go right through them", and of "knowing" the experience would compromise their health. It was, after all, some years after the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki exposed the dangers of radiation to an incredulous world. However, they were told no harm would come to them and their role was simply as observers. They trusted their superiors and did their duty.
Britain denies the men were there as guinea pigs. Only 10 years ago it testified at the European Court of Human Rights that it had never used people as experimental subjects during nuclear weapons trials. But in May 2001, papers from the Australian National Archives revealed the lie. They showed that New Zealand, Australian and British officers were sent into the Maralinga fallout zone, in central Australia, soon after a nuclear bomb was detonated there. The reason? To gauge which clothing offered the best protection. The obvious conclusion is the Christmas (Kirimati) and Malden Island test series - known as Operation Grapple - also played a role in this experiment.
The effects on the sailors' health has been dramatic. Of 551 New Zealanders involved, more than 400 are now dead - most not making it through their fifties. A Massey University study has found the test veterans have suffered genetic damage three times the normal rate - surely no surprise.
The New Zealand Government contributed $200,000 towards this research.
Now, the New Zealand Nuclear Test Veterans Association is calling for more funding to research whether the genetic fallout is continued in the sailors' children. The Government must agree to this without delay.
Our veterans have joined others from Britain and Fiji, who played similar roles in the Pacific islands programme, in a $36.5 billion class action against the British Government. Good luck to them.
Armed with the Massey research, the Australian archival revelations and the early demise of so many men, the group's lawyers can make a compelling case. Britain cannot hide behind the excuse that "times have changed". It must acknowledge the full details of this dirty programme carried out so far from its own backyard, apologise to survivors and their families for its gross negligence and cynical experimentation, and pay full compensation.
There must also be full disclosure by the New Zealand Government over any complicity from this country's authorities, military or political.
There is an obvious parallel with the way in which successive governments here downplayed and denied the effect that exposure to Agent Orange had on the health of Vietnam veterans and that of their families, before an official apology finally came late in 2004.
Meanwhile, the refusal of Britain to come clean begs the question of what other government-sanction ed time bombs - medical or military - are currently ticking away. Depleted uranium exposure is one area of suspicion. The test veterans did their duty half a century ago and those who remain, and their families, continue to pay the price. It is long past time for Britain to do its duty by them.
_____________________________
May 15, 2007
From: Wayne Coady
Widow continues decades-long fight for pension
Glace Bay woman says she's owed $100,000
CBC.CA
The widow of a Canadian veteran is urging the federal government to redress a filing error that left her to raise her children on $200 a month.
Annie MacKenzie, 84, should have received her husband's disability pension after he died in 1968, but because of a mistake at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Cape Breton woman never received it.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2007/05/15/mackenzie-pension.html
Another fine example of the bureaucratic foolishness that goes on at VAC. No wonder they are worried about the potential for thousands of cases. They cant manage a simple one such as this.
-Art
______________________
May 15, 2007
From: Art Connolly
Petition
To: The Prime Minister of Canada
We the undersigned believe it is imperative that the government of Canada acknowledge the fact that defoliants, including AGENT ORANGE, AGENT WHITE and AGENT PURPLE, were sprayed at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown New Brunswick Canada from the period 1956 to at least 1984. This has been verified by Department of National Defence documents.
It is important that the government realize that the effects of the sprayings has been disastrous on soldiers, their families, civilian employees and their families as well as civilians and civilian families. The health issues that have been suffered by so many need to be acknowledged by this federal government.
It has been reported that the parliamentary committee studying the spraying is only focusing on sprayings during the years of 1966 and 1967. This baffles and angers the Canadian public. At a time when so many people who have been affected by the chemical sprayings are disillusioned, angered and frustrated it is time for the parliamentary committee to stop the denials and do the right thing.
Canada and the world are watching Mr. Prime Minister. This story will not go away. In this "Year of the Veteran" the actions of this committee and your government will say much about Canada as a nation.
Sincerely,
Please sign the online petition at
http://www.petitiononline.com/aoalert/
________________________
May 11, 2007
From: Gail Radford-Ross
Complete article at: http://www.macleans .ca/canada/ opinions/ article.jsp? content=20070521 _105226_105226
Shane Doan and honour: what would our MPs know?
Whether or not a slur was uttered on the ice is none of Parliament's business
ANDREW POTTER | May 21, 2007 |
Which brings us to last week's parliamentary disgrace, the investigation of Shane Doan. To refresh your memory, Doan was accused of making a disparaging (or "culturally insensitive, " according to the CBC) remark to a French Canadian referee during a game in 2005. Liberal MP Denis Coderre tried to get Doan thrown off the Olympic team last year, and while he failed in that, his efforts at stirring up trouble have not gone unrewarded.
Doan was appointed captain of the Canadian team currently playing at the World Championships in Moscow, and the Bloc Québécois managed to get a motion passed demanding that officials from Hockey Canada appear before the House of Commons committee of official languages to explain their decision.
What is at issue here is not whether Shane Doan uttered a slur against French Canadian referees while on the ice; it is that it is none of Parliament's business. The referees are as much a part of the hockey "code" as the players, and they are party to the internal set of protocols for settling these things. Indeed, by all accounts the affair had been settled, until Coderre stuck his nose where it didn't belong.
The irony, too, is that Shane Doan was being investigated for cultural insensitivity by a group of people who routinely call one another the most appalling things in the House of Commons anyway.
They tend to clam up once they get outside the legal protection of the Commons, which only serves to underscore the ludicrousness of MPs continuing to style themselves as "honourable.
" In other words, Shane Doan, who is spending his vacation serving his country abroad, finds his honour questioned by a group of people who have proven time and time again that they have none.
I have great difficulty with our politicians wasting their time and our tax dollars on the above foolishness. At a time when there are many issues that need to be dealt with and resolved, they are tripping over themselves to get in the limelight.
I suggest to these politicians that they start resolving the defoliant spraying at CFB Gagetown and for once, just once do something useful.
______________________
Fri 11 May 2007
CanWest News Service
Environmentalists baffled by North American pesticide-reviews process
by Kelly Patterson
OTTAWA - The safety of pesticides in Canada is partly in the hands of U.S. regulators as the two countries forge ahead with plans to harmonize their pesticide-review processes.
News of the effort comes as a growing chorus of scientists south of the border raise the alarm about plummeting standards and rampant corporate interference in the U.S. regulatory process under the Bush administration.
Joint pesticide reviews were flagged as a "key milestone" of the 2005 Security and Prosperity Partnership, a broad-ranging plan to promote trade by streamlining regulatory protocols across North America.
"Canada and the U.S. would split the workload" of reviewing pesticides, creating a sort of one-stop shopping for manufacturers looking to get their products approved in both countries, explains Richard Aucoin, chief registrar of the federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency.
Moving to joint reviews simply means tweaking the rules on both sides in insignificant ways, Aucoin says.
"Let's say we require a toxicity study on rats that's done in 110 days, and the U.S. requires a test done over 90 days."
That means conducting two separate tests, whereas, with a harmonized system, "maybe we can do just one study in 100 days."
Joint reviews also mean each country can specialize in what it does best, then share the results with its partner.
Already "70 products have been approved this way," he says.
Aucoin says safety remains paramount for Canadian regulators, noting the agency began the process shortly after the North America Free Trade Agreement.
But even U.S. observers are baffled by Canada's decision to rely partly on American reviews at a time when corporate influence over regulation has provoked an outcry in the scientific community.
"Why would the Canadian people align themselves with a failed regulatory system?" asks Jay Feldman of the American environmental group Beyond Pesticides.
In 2005, the U.S. Governmental Accountability Office raised the alarm about corporate sway over the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulates pesticides.
Last month James Huff, a senior scientist for the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, published a blistering attack on the "brazenly overt ... (and) perverse influence" of industry on the U.S. regulatory system in an academic journal.
He singled out the EPA as being "dangerously credulous in their dealings with vested industries," arguing its advisory panels are stacked with self-serving industry experts.
His objections have been echoed by dozens of other scientists in recent years. In 2005, 60 leading scientists, including Nobel laureates and university presidents, formally protested against the "misuse of science" under the Bush administration.
Health Minister Tony Clement declined to comment on the move toward more joint reviews with the U.S.
But NDP MP Peter Julian said harmonizing Canadian rules with the U.S. system means "this government is rolling the dice with the health and food safety of Canadians."
Earlier this week news emerged that Canada is set to raise its limits on pesticide residues on fruit and vegetables for hundreds of products.
Canada's limits are stricter than those set by the U.S. in 40 per cent of the cases it regulates.
For example, the U.S. allows five-times more captan on fruit, twice as much trifluralin on carrots, and eight times as much vinclozolin on cherries, according to a 2006 study by the David Suzuki Foundation.
The difference in residue limits was identified as a "barrier to trade" by the Security and Prosperity Partnership.
"The changes to our pesticide rules show the SPP means Canadians will have to give up higher standards .... It is reckless and irresponsible, and it's not what Canadians want," says Julian.
Liberal health critic Bonnie Brown is also calling for more scrutiny of the deal.
"Oh, surprise, surprise, we're going to match the U.S. standards."
While the SPP was signed by former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin, its scope was never intended to reach as far as key health and safety protections, she says.
_____________________
May 9, 2007
From: Art Connolly
Canada plans to raise pesticide residue limits
Kelly Patterson, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, May 08, 2007
OTTAWA -- Think those grapes look suspiciously dusty?
Better break out the veggie-scrubbers: Canada is set to raise its limits on pesticide residues on fruit and vegetables for hundreds of products.
The move is part of an effort to harmonize Canadian pesticide rules with those of the United States, which allows higher residue levels for 40 per cent of the pesticides it regulates.
Differences in residue limits, which apply both to domestic and imported food, pose a potential "trade irritant," said Richard Aucoin, chief registrar of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, which sets Canada's pesticide rules.
However, Canada will only raise its limits "where this poses no risks," he stressed.
U.S. pesticide residue limits are often higher because the country's warmer climate means it is plagued by more pests, Aucoin said.
Canadian caps are higher in only 10 per cent of cases, he explained, adding these may be lowered under the harmonization plan. Aucoin said Canada won't be raising its limits for all of the cases where its rules are stricter, but "will likely be asked to raise them" for cases now being identified as priorities by growers.
The agency is reviewing its limits on a case-by-case basis, he said.
But Canada should never lower it standards in the name of harmonization, said David Boyd, an environmental lawyer and author of a 2006 study of international pesticide regulations.
"We should look to equal or surpass the best in the world, not only measure ourselves against the U.S.," where regulations are weaker than in jurisdictions such as the European Union, he said.
Canadian regulators and their U.S. counterparts have been working to harmonize pesticide regulations since 1996, as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Now the effort is being fast-tracked as an initiative under the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), a wide-ranging plan to streamline regulatory and security protocols across North America.
The SPP's 2006 report identified stricter residue limits as "barriers to trade."
Boyd's report, published by the B.C.-based David Suzuki Foundation, raised concerns about the levels of pesticide residue allowed both in the U.S. and Canada.
Comparing 40 U.S. limits with those set by Canada, the European Union, Australia and the World Health Organization, he found the U.S. had the weakest rules for more than half of the pesticide uses studied.
In some cases the differences were dramatic: The U.S. allows 50 times more vinclozolin on cherries as the E.U., and 100 times as much lindane on pineapples.
Canada fared no better: For permethrin on leaf lettuce and spinach, the Canadian and U.S. limit was 400 times higher than in Europe, and the Canadian cap on methoxychlor was 1,400 times the European limit.
Both countries also allow pesticides that have been banned not only in Europe but also in some developing countries, Boyd noted.
Methamidophos, for example, is permitted in Canada but banned in Indonesia and other developing nations, he found. The pesticide is now being re-evaluated in Canada.
Aucoin said residue limits are set according to exacting standards in Canada, adding differences in ecosystems and patterns of use can account for the variation from country to country.
Raising the limits "will not change the amount of pesticides coming into the country," he said, noting the residue levels on imported produce are usually well below even the Canadian limits.
(OTTAWA CITIZEN)
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007
____________________________
May 6, 2007
From: Jim Cadger
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and every other living prime minister,
governor general, and Member of Parliament and every Premier of the
Province of New Brunswick and all the living MLA's since 1956 should
be targeted in an incredible class action lawsuit filed by the
victims of the defoliant spraying at CFB Gagetown
Federally we are looking at everyone from the 1950's era of Louis St.
Laurent to Stephen Harper, and Provincially from Hugh John Flemming
to Shawn Graham.
The deceit, lies, and cover-up by the chemical companies and the
people who supposedly represent the Canadian citizens should be
exposed.
Many of these deaths and diseases could have been prevented had the
Government's key personnel done their job properly. A recently
released report revealed how genetic tests on Vietnam vets exposed to
Agent Orange was worse than experiencing a nuclear explosion - with
up to seven generations of significant DNA damage found.
The New Zealand veterans have just filed a similar class action in
their country and we should follow that lead.
It appear to be the only way to get the attention of our present
governments.
Jim Cadger -
__________________
May 6, 2007
From Kelly Franklin
Millions served
With New Zealand pursuing a 5 billion dollar lawsuit for
Agent Orange exposure against every living government official
connected with the Vietnam War in that country, here are a few
Canadian observations.
New Zealand soldiers were sent into Vietnam. These people
were then contaminated with awful chemicals of war that were sprayed
on Vietnam from 1961 until 1971 by the Americans. Same with the
Americans.
Here's something you may not know - Those same chemicals
were sprayed on an unsuspecting public in CFB Gagetown New Brunswick
Canada from 1956 until 1984 in greater concentrations than on
Vietnam. Our own country did this.
If New Zealanders are angry about what happened to their
soldiers in a foreign country, imagine how we feel in dripping
Canada! We didn't go to Vietnam, Vietnam came to us, and Ottawa kept
it secret from Canadians until 2005.
We'll need a big jail real soon.
Kelly Porter Franklin
__________________
May 6, 2007
From: Gail Radford Ross
This should put the fear of God into the Feds - they're going after EVERYBODY! "Many of these deaths could have been prevented had the Government's key personnel done their job properly."
Vietnam Vets to launch $5b lawsuit
By KRISTIAN SOUTH - Sunday News | Sunday, 6 May 2007
Prime Minister Helen Clark and every other living prime minister, governor general, minister of health and minister of defence since New Zealand entered the Vietnam war will be targeted in the incredible $5 billion lawsuit planned by vets.
The Vietnam Veteran's Action Group has launched the sensational bid to sue the government and key political figures because they blame them for lack of action over their poisoning by Agent Orange. The veterans have engaged giant Australian law firm Slater & Gordon -which won a $1.5b lawsuit against industrial corporation James Hardie -to handle the case.
Sunday News understands Slater & Gordon bosses will meet in the next few days to discuss tactics.
"Slater & Gordon has been approached by a group of veterans and we are investigating the situation," a firm spokesman last night told Sunday News. But Sunday News understands the law firm is serious about taking the case and this week's talks will drill into the specifics of the vets' claims.
The proposed lawsuit will allege consecutive governments and officials since 1962 were guilty of "malfeasance" and failed to provide duty of care to veterans. Malfeasance is a term used when public officials break the law and bring harm to others while in office. In some cases it can result in criminal charges.
Clark last night declined to comment on the pending lawsuit and referred all questions to defence minister Phil Goff, who said the Government had addressed the needs of veterans in a recent $30m Agent Orange compensation package.
"You can't say, `We'll take what we were given in the settlement and then we'll go for everything else as well'," Goff told Sunday News. "That's not how these things work."
News of the pending lawsuit comes as Goff and veterans affairs minister Rick Barker are due to decide on how to administer Agent Orange payouts. But only veterans who suffer from five recognised symptoms of Agent Orange exposure are covered - leaving hundreds of others to battle illnesses like cancer and heart disease without government compensation.
Under the scheme, fewer than 100 vets will get around $40,000 if they are suffering from four specific cancers and a skin condition, chloracne. Children of vets are eligible for $25,000, subject to them suffering from conditions limited to spina bifida, cleft lip, cleft palate and two types of cancer.
Vietnam Veterans' Action Group spokesman Bruce Weir said more than 1300 former soldiers and war widows were expected to be represented in the class action.
"We are bringing this lawsuit against the government to ensure all veterans and their families are adequately looked after by the New Zealand government," Weir told Sunday News. "The current package covers less than five percent of the veterans and that is not good enough.
"We feel we have been betrayed and we are taking this issue to court to ensure it is sorted out properly.
"We are hoping to expose the deceit, lies and cover-up in the High Court so the New Zealand public can see exactly what the Vietnam veterans have had to battle against."
Last year, Sunday News revealed how genetic tests on Vietnam vets had shown being exposed to Agent Orange was worse than experiencing a nuclear explosion - with up to seven generations of significant DNA damage found.
Weir said the lawsuit would be seeking about $4 million for every veteran registered in the class action.
"You're looking at punitive damages for 40 years of lies, cover-up and deceit and if it went to court I would imagine we would be seeking $4 million per veteran," he said.
"So with 1300 plaintiffs, you're talking about a lot of money. But when you're looking at several generations of damaged DNA, the veteran community needs to know that everyone is covered.
"Of the 3200-odd persons who served in Vietnam, approximately 550 have died since the war finished and these days more are dying every week. Many of these deaths could have been prevented had the Government's key personnel done their job properly."
Weir said the class action lawsuit was open to veterans and the families of deceased veterans. Indications were about 1300 veterans, war widows and families of veterans would register.
_____________________
May 2, 2007
From: Wayne Coady
Ottawa Are You listening ? Do You Care?
http://waynecoady.blogspot.com/2007/05/ottawa-are-you-listening-do-you-care.html
_________________
May 1, 2007
From: Art Connolly
Esprit de Corps Magazine April 2007 edition
Gagetown: The Deceit Continues
_________________
April 30, 2007
The Current for April 30, 2007
CBC RADIO
Agent Orange – Report
Featuring Thomas Boivin President of Hatfield Consultants, Keith Arthur Pilmoor, UK Veteran and Art Connolly, Vice President of the Agent Orange Association of Canada
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/media/200704/20070430thecurrent_sec1.ram
________________________
April 29, 2007
CBC Radio's "The Current" will be covering the story of 'Canada and its connection to Agent Orange' on Monday April 30, 2007 at 8:30 AM
The guests are expected to be:
Tom Boivin with the Hatfield Group who were involved with cleanup efforts in Vietnam,
Keith Pilmoor the UK Veteran who recently received a UK VA pension for exposure at Gagetown.
Art Connolly, Vice-President of the Agent Orange Association of Canada (AOAC).
"The Current" can be heard at your convenience as the program will be stored online.
Broadcast time: Weekdays at 8:30 a.m. (9:00 NT) on CBC Radio One
http://www.cbc. ca/listen/ index.html
http://www.cbc. ca/thecurrent/
______________________
April 28, 2007
From: Art Connolly
Below is an email from Bill Dixon-Dodds. Mr Dixon-Dodds was the advocate for Keith Pilmoor who recieved a pension from the UK government due to health issues that he attributes to defoliant spraying at CFB Gagetown. Mr Pilmoor was in Gagetown with the Green Howards, a UK military unit, in 1966.
The email explains in more details the benefits that Mr Philmoor will receive because of his ill health attributed to Gagetown.
Veterans Affairs Canada and the federal government of Canada need to look at this and realize that veterans and their families can be treated with dignity and compassion. I realize that it is not something that either are familar with but hopefully VAC and the federal government will be embarrassed enough to make note.
-Art
Art,
Further to the questions asked:
Dollar equivalent UK Pension. 60% is approx $4,000 dollars lump sum. Approx $950 PM - for life & any further claims owing to situation getting worse. A cost of living rise each year. Various increments to be followed up. Free medication. Priority free medical treatment on the National Health Service. Various social benefits (free social housing if required/free local taxes if required)
Help with jobs around the house the at the Vet could not do himself -
The word 'War Pension' covers all men and women who have been injured or disabled owing to military service up to April 2005. With Afghanistan & Iraq coming into play a new system of payments have come into being
Trust this answers the question.
Regards
Bill Dixon-Dodds
________________
April 28, 2007
Agent Orange compensation in Britain gives N.B. activists hope
Last Updated: Friday, April 27, 2007 | 1:55 PM AT
CBC News
People exposed to the spraying of the herbicide Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown outside Fredericton are encouraged by the case of a British soldier who has been compensated for his exposure.
The British government has awarded a special pension to Keith Pilmoor, 65, of Bradford, who said he was exposed to the defoliant sprayed at the base in 1966 and was sick for decades afterward.
Read more .....
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2007/04/27/nb-agentorangecomp.html
________________________
April 27, 2007
From: Kenneth Young
Canada the Lag Behind Country.
With Canada lagging behind the rest of the western world when talking about carbon gasses, lagging behind the world in treatment of war prisoners in Afghanistan and lagging behind most G7 countries on environmental issues, is it any wonder that Ottawa has also chosen to lag behind when it comes to the compensation of their own disabled Veterans when it comes to Toxic Chemical Poisoning, suffered at CFB Gagetown from 1956 through 1984.
Environment Minister John Baird made a so called joke about how many Canadians it would take to change a light bulb with the answer being all of them, is blunted by the fact that Canada is quickly becoming the Joke of the world.
Many people are now also asking, "How many Canadian Soldiers must die before Ottawa admits to poisoning them with Agents Orange, Purple and White at CFB Gagetown and does something to help them? The answer is once again all of them.
It costs much less that way and will have less economical effect on the chemical industry." A typical Conservative, balanced approach don’t you think?
Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (Ret'd).
_____________________
April 27, 2007
From: Jim Cadger
In a landmark ruling a former British soldier who spent time in CFB
Gagetown being awarded a pension for his exposure to chemicals while
training there. This has set a precedent and opens up the door for
thousands of other British troops who trained in Gagetown.
As an internationally recognized group, the Agent Orange Association
of Canada played a major role in providing information to the
caseworkers of the Royal British Legion, who assisted the veterans in
their struggle for justice.
The Agent Orange Associaton of Canada has also provided the
Government of Canada and Veterans Affairs Canada with the same
information, only to be ignored and ridiculed. Our government refuses
to recognize the facts presented and continues to make false promises
while telling the public how much they are doing. They continue to
use every tactic possible to avoid compensation and justice by
stalling the Class Action Lawsuit in progress. They continue to
downplay an international incident that unfolded at CFB Gagetown
causing grief and suffering for hundreds of thousands.
Now we watch as the Canadian Government becomes an international
joke. But we will continue the struggle, we will persist, we will not
rest, and we will win, because we know that one man that has a mind
and knows it can always beat ten men who haven't and don't.
Jim Cadger - Membership Chairman
Agent Orange Association of Canada
________________
April 27, 2007
From: Bill Dixon-Dodds
Art,
Many thanks for holding fire until I received clarification as to the wording in respect of Keith's award of a War Pension.
I asked Keith and all other vets who have responded to my appeal for those who served in Canada during the 'spraying years' to complete their statement on the War Pension application form:
I AM TOTALLY CONVINCED THAT MY DISEASE IS THE RESULT OF MY EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE DURING MY SERVICE IN AND AROUND BASE GAGETOWN. CANADA IN 1966/67
The Veteran's Agency have written that his condition is ' ATTRIBUTABLE TO SERVICE' therefore this must include either totally or in part to exposure to Agent Orange.
Now that this has been clarified I lend my total support to my colleagues in Canada in the knowledge that they will overcome
Regards
Bill Dixon-Dodds
County Welfare Caseworker
The Royal British Legion
Member: War Pension Committee
Service Personnel & Veterans Agency
________________
Thu 26 Apr 2007
From: Mike Christie
The Globe and Mail
GAGETOWN U.K. awards pension over Agent Orange exposure Move may open way for others
Canadian Press SAINT JOHN, N.B.
In what is being called a landmark ruling, Britain has awarded a special pension to a retired British soldier who claimed his exposure to Agent Orange at a Canadian army base in 1966 made him ill for decades.
The pension granted to Keith Pilmoor, 65, of Bradford, England, is believed to be the first financial payment by a country other than Canada over herbicide spraying at CFB Gagetown.
It could also open the gates to more successful claims from the estimated 5,000 British soldiers who trained at Gagetown over several decades, said the advocate who represented Mr. Pilmoor before a medical board.
"This is now the precedent," said Bill Dixon-Dodds of the British war pension committee.
Mr. Pilmoor is encouraging ex-members of his regiment, the Green Howards, to apply for the same pension.
"A lot of the lads who were exposed to the chemical were very skeptical and said we'd not get anything," he said on the regiment's website, www.ex-greenhowards.com. "But they were wrong."
Canada's Veterans Affairs Department has received more than 1,500 applications for compensation since June, 2005, but has awarded only six disability pensions or awards so far.
In 1966, Mr. Pilmoor was a young private who trained extensively in the forests and countryside of Gagetown, filling water bottles from creeks and sleeping in tents. He had no idea any spraying was occurring.
Although several different types of herbicides were sprayed over decades at Gagetown, 1966 and 1967 stand out as the only time the Department of National Defence says Agent Orange was sprayed on a small scale in tests conducted with the U.S. military.
Mr. Pilmoor suffered from ulcerative colitis, a severe and chronic inflammation of the digestive tract that can be life- threatening.
His condition became so severe that in 1995 he was told only emergency surgery could save his life.
"They took most of me bowels away and me backside," he said in an interview. "My backside now is at the front of me body, which I have to laugh about or I'd go crazy."
His poor health forced him to quit the school caretaker job he held after retiring from the military. As word of the spraying spread among his old comrades, Mr. Pilmoor was shocked to discover some of his former colleagues at Gagetown suffered the same condition.
________________________
April 26, 2007
From: Ken Dobbie
PACIFIC VETS TO GET AGENT ORANGE COMPO AT LONG LAST
Date: 26 April 2007
Auckland 6pm: Vietnam veterans are expecting to hear tomorrow that their $30 million compensation deal for being sprayed by the killer chemical Agent Orange is coming through at last.
New Zealand approved the deal last year but vets, who were forced to recall the horrors of war yesterday as the country celebrated Anzac Day, have been waiting patiently.
Theo Marama, who is now living in the Cooks, says it's the children, many of whom are suffering from things like asthma, respiratory problems and deformities, that he's concerned about. (listen)
Another vet, Sani Lakatani, says many vets have mixed feelings about the deal but haven't forgotten that they were sent to Vietnam to serve their country. (listen)
Veterans Affairs Minister Rick Barker's office told Pacific Rsadio News today that the vets should be able to start claiming on Monday
________________________
April 22, 2007
From: Ken Young
Re: Waging a battle over Agent Orange exposure, March 30
Veterans on their own in fight
Article online since April 21st 2007, 0:01
Be the first to comment this article
Re: Waging a battle over Agent Orange exposure, March 30
Veterans on their own in fight
I was pleased to see the compassion shown by your readers in regards to Agent Orange exposure Veterans were subjected to without their knowledge or permission in CFB Gagetown. Perhaps public opinion can sway the Federal Government to do the "right thing." Unfortunately, without a public enquiry – the truth will never come out and veterans will pay the price.
Just to give you an idea of what veterans are up against, I submitted a pension claim to Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) approximately 18 months ago due to Agent Orange exposure in June 1966 while stationed in CFB Gagetown.
I was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the early age of 46 and there is no history of this disease in my family. VAC acknowledges my presence in the Gagetown training area while spraying was actually conducted. VAC also acknowledged that Agent Orange can cause prostate cancer.
I was able to show that I lived in the training area for weeks at a time and I was able to demonstrate how I ate, drank, breathed and applied contaminated soil/vegetation to my body. I even had witness statements backing up my claim.
Yet my claim was denied by VAC because "there is no evidence to establish direct contact with Agent Orange," they said. They will not accept any responsibility and they will not give the veteran the benefit of doubt. We're on our own. So, keep up the good work. Maybe Canadians will make the difference and force the Government to do the right thing. Before it's too late!
(MWO Retired) John E. Raymond, CD
__________________
April 21, 2007
From: Len Aldis
The RT Hon. Stephen Harper
Office of Prime Minister
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario KIA 0A6
Dear Prime Minister,
I write as a person who in my travels to Vietnam has seen many people of all ages affected by the use of chemicals, in the main, Agent Orange.
Seeing and meeting with the people especially young children, many under the age of four years, It has led me over the years to campaign to seek justice for these tragic victims born years after the war ended. You will, I hope, understand my concern when I read that the chemicals had been used at the Gagetown Base, resulting in deaths, illnesses and disabilities.
Can I ask if the your Government accepts responsibility for the terrible effects caused by the use of these chemicals and that suitable compensation is/will be made to the victims and to the families.
Yours sincerely
Len Aldis. Secretary
Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society
London. UK
______________________
April 20, 2007
From: Wayne Coady
Hello fellow victims of the Agent Orange, White & Purple Herbicide spraying program, that took place at Base Gagetown New Brunswick.
I would like you all to know that I have written, Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, several letters and have not receive one reply to date. It is without question, I am being ignored by her office.
I wrote the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada because she just happens to hold the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian military. The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, along with the Royal Canadian Legion surely are in a position, whereby both could influence the Government of Canada to act, before all the victims of this criminal act are dead.
As the old saying goes, "Honourable is as honourable does". I rest my case and await her reply to my letters, where I ask she intervene on our behalf.
Take Care
Wayne Coady
Cole Harbour
Nova Scotia
_________________
April 18, 2007
From: Keith Pilmoor
Hi, I am the person who Bill Dixon-Dodd, from the British Legion, helped get a war pension.
Thank you Bill as without your help I would not have got any thing.
Good luck to all out in Canada and never give up the fight.
Keith Arthur Pilmoor--Green Howards
Congratulations Keith..... It is good to see that the UK government recognizes that soldiers were harmed at Gagetown.
- Art
______________________
April 17, 2007
From: Bill Dixon-Dodd
Hi Art,
Please post on the forum:
I attended a Medical Board in the UK with a Veteran from the Green Howards Regiment who had been exposed to Agent Orange at Base Gagetown in 1966 and had applied for a War Pension after I had passed on information obtained from AOAC and my contact with many comrades in Canada.
I am happy to report that the Veteran Keith Pilmoore (he does not mind me mentioning his name) has now been awarded a 60% War Pension.
Prior to the Board I sent relevant information to the Veterans Agency to enable the Doctor to made a sound judgement - she did! This is now the precedent.
Many Thanks to Art and the rest of my colleagues in Canada who gave me encouragement when I thought we were getting no where,
I trust and pray that your struggle will be resolved soon.
Bill Dixon-Dodds
County Welfare Caseworker
The Royal British Legion
Member War Pensions Committee
The Veterans Agency (UK)
Thanks Bill...Definitely one for the good guys!!
-Art
___________________
April 15, 2007
From: Ken Young
Waging a battle over Agent Orange exposure
By Justin Sadler
March 30, 2007
Orleans Star / Weekly Journal, Daily news from Orléans and East Ottawa
http://www.eastottawa.ca/article-90140-Waging-a-battle-over-Agent-Orange-exposure.html
____________
April 14, 2007
Please assist the Agent Orange Association of Canada by completing and mailing the attached postcard to the Prime Minister of Canada.
The Prime Minister made an election campaign promise in January of 2006 that the Gagetown victims would be tested and compensated. Apparently Stephen Harper does not keep his word.
Enough is enough! It is time to let the Prime Minster know that Canada will not let him forget the veterans of this country.
The only way to obtain the truth is through an independent judicial inquiry. It is time to do the right thing!
Please print the postcard, complete it and mail it.
There is no postage necessary to let the PM know that you do not appreciate his disrespect for Canada's veterans.
Postcard to Prime Minister
____________________
April 14, 2007
From: Kenneth Young
Waging a battle over Agent Orange exposure
http://www.eastottawa.ca/article-94790-Re-Waging-a-battle-over-Agent-Orange-exposure-March-30.html
_____________________
April 11, 2007
I am a Brat, Am Army Brat.
Tour of Duty Magazine article April / May 2007 by Art Connolly
__________________
April 11, 2007
From: Kelly P Franklin
Suffield, Chemical Warfare, and Canadian/US Relations
Diana Chown
http://www.peacemag azine.org/ archive/v05n1p12 .htm
FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS, scientists from the Department of National
Defence have been as busy as beavers expanding their knowledge of,
and testing agents for, chemical and biological warfare (CBW) in
southern Alberta.
______________________
April 11, 2007
From: Gail Radford-Ross
A Cover-Up on Agent Orange?
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,970675,00.html
The medical detectives at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control have a well-earned reputation for relentlessly tracking down the causes of such mysterious ailments as Legionnaires' disease. But the agency's record is in danger of being blemished by a bitter controversy over Agent Orange, a defoliant containing dioxin, a suspected carcinogen.
_____________________
April 10, 2007
Search the Factfinders' Database
http://www.basegagetownandareafactfindersproject.ca/database/search2.php
_____________________________
Sun 08 Apr 2007
The Vancouver Province
There should be something called a free lunch
Minister of Veterans Affairs Greg Thompson has denied that his department had agreed to buy lunch for 3,600 students going to France to mark the 90th anniversary of the Canadian victory at Vimy Ridge.
At a time when we hear so much criticism of our young people, it should be noted that the students raised the money to pay for their travel and other costs on the trip. These students are to be revered and commended.
At the same time, taxpayers are paying for more than 100 government officials to attend the ceremony. I doubt that these government officials raised the money to pay their own travel costs.
We Canadians watching the ceremonies from here in Canada will all be so proud of the young people who are there representing our great country.
As for Greg Thompson and his entourage -- enjoy your lunch.
Art Connolly,
vice-president,
Agent Orange Association of Canada,
London, Ont.
_________________________
April 5, 2007
From: Sindy Strong
When I heard there would be significant tax breaks for families in
this federal budget, I was excited.
It's always nice to have a little less taken from my paycheque; then
I looked closer.
It seems that you can only be part of a "family" if you have
children.
Every new tax measure that helps Canadians on an individual income
tax level has to do with children.
Extra income deductions for each child, the deduction for having kids
in sports, etc etc.
Well, I like to think that my husband and myself are a family. The
fact that we do not have children does not mean we are not a family.
Although, I don't think I'm capable of having children, the fact in
my life is that I chose not to have children because of what my
children would have to go through.
I have had multiple health problems in my life (immune system issues,
deformities, rashes, inconsistent medical findings for many problems,
and probably cancer to look forward to in the future), and since
these problems seem to stem from my father's exposure to chemicals at
CFB Gagetown, I am worried they would be passed on to my children.
Research I have seen leads me to believe this is a definite
probability.
So, the bottom line is the government has once again slapped me in
the face by giving all these breaks to people who have a "family,"
when they have made me incapable, at the very least mentally and
intellectually, of having what they define as a "family" of my own.
There are days when I hope these people rot in hell.
God forgive me.
______________________
April 5, 2007
Minister of Veterans Affairs Canada, Greg Thompson has denied that
Veteran Affairs had agreed to buy lunch for 3,600 students who are
going to France to mark the 90th anniversary of the Canadian victory
at Vimy Ridge.
At a time when we hear so much criticism of our young people it
should be noted that the students raised the money to pay for their
travel and other costs on the trip. These students are to be revered
and commended.
At the same time taxpayers are paying for more than 100 government
officials to attend the ceremony. I doubt that these government
officials raised the money to pay their own travel costs.
We Canadians watching the ceremonies from here in Canada we will all
be so proud of the young people who are there representing our great
country.
As for Minister Thompson and entourage... Enjoy your lunch.
Art
_______________________________
April 1, 2007
Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Study
_____________________
March 31, 2007
Agent Orange payout to be nixed
The Whig-Standard
Local News - Saturday, March 31, 2007 Updated @ 10:54:54 PM
By Ian Elliot
Whig-Standard Staff Writer
Soldiers and civilians exposed to Agent Orange and other chemicals at a military base in New Brunswick are rejecting a proposed federal government cash payout.
Ken Dobbie, who is the lead plaintiff in one of a number of class-action lawsuits filed against the federal government relating to its spraying of more than a million kilograms of herbicide at CFB Gagetown over a period of 30 years, said those affected by the spraying want a public inquiry and compensation to be determined by the courts.
http://www.thewhig.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=468282&catname=Local%20News&classif=News%20-%20Local
___________________
March 29, 2007
From: Gail Radford-Ross
Vietnamese AO victims garner more support at UN Human Rights Council
07:25 29/03/2007
VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin have garnered further support at the fourth session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Mar. 27.
Speaking at the meeting, André Bouny, Chairman of the international committee in support for the Vietnamese Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin victims and the New York trial (CIS), recalled the period between 1961 and 1971 when the US military sprayed 84 million tonnes of defoliant over Vietnam , and called upon the international community to support the victims.
He gave scientific evidence of the toxic chemical’s serious environmental consequences, as well as its impact on health of many generations of people in Vietnam .
Citing international conventions and laws, the activist stressed that the US military’s use of AO during the Vietnam war should be considered genocide or at least a war crime because of the serious consequences in the past, at present, and even in the future of the country.
Reporting to the Council’s meeting on developments in the Vietnamese AO victims’ lawsuit against US chemical firms that produced defoliant for the US military, Bouny urged the UN agency and the international community to support the lawsuit and demand the US firms compensate Vietnamese victims.
(Source: VNA)
____________________
March 28, 2007
The St. John's Telegram
Court examining Agent Orange case
Justice/health National class action seeks certification in Newfoundland
BARB SWEET
The Telegram
A Saskatchewan law firm wants a massive civil case involving chemical spraying at the Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick to be played out in the Newfoundland Supreme Court system.
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=19521&sc=79
I am shocked at how despicable the government truly is. First they want the power to allow Veteran Affairs to deny pension claims and then forbid the veteran to sue. Second they want the court case in NB where class action legislation has not been implemented so that they can stall and allow more people to die.
Shame Shame Shame
-Art
___________________________
Halifax Chronicle Herald
March 27, 2007
Lack of info
I am totally frustrated with the information I read in the media about the chemical sprayings that have happened in Gagetown, N.B.
I hear lots of promises by the government on compensation for the victims, but nothing on the right dates of sprayings or on which victims are to be compensated.
The fact-finding mission put together to help solve this puzzle refuses to do a proper study of the problem.
The dates that keep getting published for the sprayings only include the U.S. spray dates, and not the actual and total dates.
The government, again stalling, is looking for more to add to its little election scheme when the time comes. The media only seem to run with this horrific story when they have nothing else to print, or print it when it becomes political.
The people who are suffering from this chemical exposure are Canadians. When are we going to look after our own citizens? And why do Canadian people have to fight so hard to be looked after?
Sue Skipton, Bridgetown
____________________
Sun 25 Mar 2007
The Halifax Daily News
Rights for all?
To the editor:
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor stated in Afghanistan that everyone knows Canada practises a high standard of human rights.
I agree that Canadians definitely want all people to have their rights protected. My question is: Does the Canadian government also respect the rights of its own military veterans and citizens?
Toxic chemicals such as 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, hexachlorobenzene, dioxin and picloram were sprayed on the training area of CFB Gagetown and surrounding communities for a period of almost three decades.
These toxic chemicals affected Canadians in their own country, and was done by our own government. When will DND and our government accept the responsibility they own, and respect the rights of their own citizens?
The government spreads money around the world, but has yet to help the Gagetown victims or even admit to, and apologize for, its involvement in the tragic results of their actions.
Sandy E. Skipton
_________________
March 17, 2007
PRESS RELEASE
MARCH 17, 2007
AGENT ORANGE ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
It has been reported that the federal budget to be announced on Monday March 19, 2007 will announce compensation for victims of the defoliant spraying at CFB Gagetown.
The March 17, 2007 edition of the Fredericton Daily Gleaner (Page A3) reports that John Chisholm, a member of the advisory panel for the Base Gagetown and Area Fact Finder Project, has met with Veteran Affairs Minister Greg Thompson and is confident compensation will be addressed in the budget.
The Daily Gleaner also reported that Chisholm said it's his understanding that any compensation will focus on those who are sick "soldiers and civilians"— from the spraying.
On March 1, 2007, Kenneth Dobbie, president of the Agent Orange Association of Canada (AOAC) had sent a 9 page document to all 308 Members of Parliament on behalf of the members of AOAC.
The document contained new information and recommendations for the government to consider regarding this black mark on Canadian history. The document also stressed the need for a public inquiry and that compensation was not the only criteria that the government must consider.
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has responded to the letter and the Agent Orange Association of Canada waits to see if Mr. Flaherty and the federal government of Canada address the situation and in turn do what is right for our veterans and the victims of the Gagetown sprayings.
Please find attached a copy of the document that was sent to all 308 Members of Parliament including cabinet ministers.
The Math and the Health Consequences
- 30 -
_________________________
March 16, 2007
In Vietnam, Old Foes Take Aim at War's Toxic Legacy
By Anthony Faiola
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, November 13, 2006; Page A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/12/AR2006111201065.html
______________________________
March 16, 2007
Please be advised that the Agent Orange Association of Canada will be making a major announcement regarding the environmental contamination that has occurred at CFB Gagetown.
This announcement will shed new light on the spraying of deadly defoliants at CFB Gagetown and the damage done to the population and surrounding area.
The truth is coming.
___________________________
Mach 14, 2007
Tour of Duty Magazine Article by Art Connolly
