In May of 2005, the Canadian media reported that "Agent Orange" had been sprayed at the Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick, Canada.
The Department of National Defence (DND) stated that 2 1/2 barrels (589 liters) of "Agent Orange" had been sprayed by the U.S. military at CFB Gagetown for a total of 7 days during 1966 and 1967.
DND failed to disclose that it had also sprayed chemical defoliants to control vegetation growth on training areas at Gagetown.
Documentation (Document A-2004-00207) obtained through the Access to Information Act shows that 1. 3 million liters and an additional 2 million pounds of dry chemicals containing deadly dioxin and hexachlorobenzene had been sprayed at Gagetown between 1956 and 1984.
Dioxin, a by-product of the chemical manufacturing process, has been associated with rare cancers, respiratory problems, impotence, chloracne, developmental and immune systems disorders and birth defects.
Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is a persistent bioaccumulative toxic compound. The U.S Environmental Protection agency lists HCB as a probable human carcinogen and studies have shown that even small amounts damage the liver, kidneys, immune system and blood.
Many veterans and dependents who served or lived at Gagetown are claiming ill health from the defoliant spraying.
DND states that over 315,000 troops, including foreign troops, have trained at CFB Gagetown between 1956 and 1984. This does not include dependents of military members nor does it include the civilian population.
The Agent Orange Association of Canada (AOAC), a non-profit advocacy organization, estimates as many as one million people could have been at Gagetown in those 28 years.
In response to public outrage, the DND implemented the "Base Gagetown and Area Fact-Finders Project" (BGAFFP). The BGAFFP is under no circumstances a public inquiry.
The task assigned to the BGAFFP is to gather the facts and to provide them to the federal government. The Chief fact-finder is not permitted to provide any recommendations, merely the facts gathered.
The Agent Orange Association of Canada states the BGAFFP to be nothing more than a public relations exercise.
The BGAFFP has been initiated to help only the veterans, civilian workers and contractors who worked on the base. Wives, widows and children of veterans as well as civilians are not being considered.
Greg Thompson, the present day Minister of Veteran Affairs, stated during a Standing Committee meeting on November 17, 2006, "I said this from the outset, and I still believe it, that it's nothing more than an elaborate public relations exercise by the government to keep a lid on this Agent Orange issue, this herbicide spray issue, to be more exact, over the course of 50 years or so."
The Agent Orange Association of Canada asks, since DND is running the BGAFFP, how can it be an objective and transparent process? The accused should not lead the investigation. Reports released by the BGAFFP have been met with suspicion and concern.
Soil sample testing had been done on only 20% of the base to a depth of only ten centimeters. In a report released in February 2006 some samples had well over 100 times the acceptable levels of dioxin. Consequently 3 areas of the base were closed.
Yet on August 10, 2006 the BGAFFP released another report from Cantox Environmental (incidentally owned by Ciba Specialty Chemicals) which claimed that all areas of the base had acceptable dioxin levels.
Many are baffled as to how dioxin that had lasted for 40 years and was above acceptable limits a few months earlier can now be considered safe.
Peer Review assessments of reports from the BGAFFP have questioned the objectivity of one report. Another report had 18 pages of criticisms from its peer reviewers.
In January 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised to provide medical testing and compensation to victims of toxic herbicide spraying by Canada's armed forces at CFB Gagetown. To date, neither medical testing nor compensation has been implemented.
The Agent Orange Association of Canada believes that compensation may eventually be awarded, but that it will be only for those who can prove they were there for the infamous seven days in 1966 and 1967.
A class action lawsuit with over 1400 participants has been launched. More information can be found at www.agentorangealert.com or by calling the Merchant Law Group at 1-888-567-7777
The Agent Orange Association of Canada wants an apology from the government, accountability from those responsible, fair compensation to ALL victims as well as a public inquiry.
You can reach the Agent Orange Association of Canada at PO Box 8120 London ON N6G 2B0 or by visiting www.agentorangealert.com.
The CFB Gagetown Agent Orange petition is located at www.petitiononline.com/aoalert
We should be proud of our present Canadian Forces members. We also need to stop and be proud of those who have served us.
Canada's veterans and their families served this country extremely well. It is time that Canada return the gesture and look after the men and women who served us so proudly.
Art Connolly is Vice President of the Agent Orange Association of Canada. He was an "army brat" who spent is youuth at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick. He has lost 2 siblings as well as his father due to what he believes to be defoliant sprayings at Gagetown. He resides in London Ontario with his wife Johanne and is a proud father and grandfather. Art can be contacted at Webmaster@AgentOrangeAlert.com.
|
Sign the