Letter To Minister Greg Thompson

Letter to Minister of Veterans Affairs












Sunday, May 6, 2007

Minister of Veterans Affairs: ( Minister's office is: 613-943-5151 )

Dear Minister Greg Thompson .

On February 19, 2004, the Minister of National Defence and Veterans Affairs recognized Canadian service personal from the Suffield, Alberta who were placed in harms way , when Chemical Warfare Agents were tested on them.

The National Defence Department and Veterans Affairs made a onetime payout of 24,000 tax free dollars to these personal . This amount of 24 thousand, is in addition to any disability pension benefits to which they would also be entitled.The situation is similar, to the Agent Orange used in 1966 and 1967, it too was a Chemical Warfare Agent ,used in the Vietnam War.

Except those involved at CFB Gagetown were never informed or asked if they were willing to take part in such test program.When the British Battalion “The Green Howards” along with many other foreign troops who came to train at CFB Gagetown, they too were never informed, why? How could the Canadian Government continue to let troops be trained in these contaminated areas at CFB Gagetown and why did it take so many years for this situation to be brought to the public‘s attention?

What is needed now, is a full blown public inquiry, because those citizens who live in and around CFB Gagetown deserve some answers also. Like why were the farmers compensated for crop damage and not those who had small family vegetable gardens, in the same area? Was it ok in the eyes of the government for those citizens to eat contaminated crops, while it was not safe for the farmers, and why the difference in concern?

One can only take the position, that if the government paid for the contaminated crops of those farmers who were unlucky enough to be in the drift area of the Agent Orange, then the Department of National Defence knew how deadly this chemical was. Therefore the Canadian taxpayer must be given an answer to why the government of Canada and the government of New Brunswick, permitted the use of this Warfare Chemical.

Then the question arises, should the province of New Brunswick be charged with breaching the Geneva Protocol, which Canada was a signature to in 1930? After all this vile warfare chemical , Agent Orange must have received the ok from the provincial government as well as the Federal government. We know that their was also a court case, whereby New Brunswick Power was sued for using Agent Orange and that the health of their employees was jeopardized.

Those employees did receive a settlement from NB Power, once again this is just another indication that Agent Orange has been recognised as a deadly chemical.All parliamentarians, in Ottawa are still avoiding those people who were placed in harms way and they have displayed their true colours this past week, when they spent their time and taxpayers dollars discussing a millionaire hockey players vocabulary problems. Who really cares, if Shane Doan told someone to f… off?

If this is any indication of how parliamentary committees function, then god help us.The question I put to all four political parties is this, do you have the will to address the Agent Orange situation and will you strike a committee looking into it ASAP? Agent Orange might seem like it is not an important issue for politicians, but trust me, it is , Canadians are watching.

The people who were employed at CFB Gagetown during the year 1966 and 1967 are being ignored by the department of National Defence and Canadian Veterans Affairs.

Regards

Wayne Coady

21 Ashgrove Avenue Cole Harbour Nova Scotia Canada B2V 1Z2 (902)434-9306

wcoady@accesswave.ca