FREDERICTON Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Andy Scott announced today, on behalf of Bill Graham, Minister of National Defence, the Government of Canada's approach concerning the use of herbicides at CFB Gagetown.
The approach involves three fact-finding tasks, and a major outreach initiative headed by Vaughn Blaney.
"As Fact-finding and Outreach Coordinator, Vaughn Blaney will contribute greatly to the Government of Canada's approach to addressing this issue," said Minister Graham. "Our approach is thorough and open, and will provide a clear and consistent set of facts that will allow the Government of Canada to make responsible, informed decisions about future actions."
As Coordinator, Mr. Blaney will be the principal conduit of information between those with concerns about herbicide use and the Government of Canada. He will hear the concerns of the community, ensure those concerns are communicated to both government and those completing the fact-finding tasks, and will inform the community about the work being conducted for the government.
As the primary focus of his work, he will communicate with people who have concerns, including current and former citizens who live and lived near the base, current and former CF members and current and former civilian employees of DND who may have been present during the spraying of herbicides at CFB Gagetown from 1952 to present. Included in this outreach are those people who have been identified as being present during the testing of Agent Orange, Agent Purple and other herbicides in 1966 and 1967.
"Vaughn Blaney is a credible voice in this community, having served as the mayor of Gagetown, as a teacher and school principal for many years, and having served as minister of the environment for New Brunswick, as well as minister of other departments for nine years," said Minister Scott, Member of Parliament for Fredericton.
"Many citizens, veterans, civilian workers and residents have valuable information and tremendous local knowledge of the base and surrounding areas," Mr. Blaney said. "Some of these individuals have come forward already. All interested people and groups will be invited and encouraged to come forward and give us their personal accounts, whether it be in community centres, church basements or in their own kitchens."
In addition to his outreach activities, Mr. Blaney will work with government officials responsible for coordinating three fact-finding tasks, which will be conducted by contracted, non-governmental experts.
The first task involves research of government documents to collect information regarding current and former Canadian Forces members and civilian employees of the Department of National Defence who may have been present when herbicides were sprayed at CFB Gagetown, and ascertaining the cicumstances. The second task is a review of the history of the spraying of herbicides at CFB Gagetown from 1952 to present, and their environmental fate and impacts.
Task 3 is divided into two parts: Part 1 is a health study that will assess potential risks to human health from the herbicides used at CFB Gagetown, based on the properties of these products and the probability and degree of exposure (type, volumes, concentrations, application conditions, and frequency of use, etc.). Part 2 is a descriptive epidemiological study, which would determine whether there is a higher incidence of illnesses in the population in the area surrounding CFB Gagetown, versus a control population from elsewhere. This study will include illnesses that the scientific and medical communities have previously associated with exposure to the types of herbicides used at CFB Gagetown.
Veterans who were present during the testing of Agent Orange or Agent Purple at CFB Gagetown during the 1960s may be eligible for a disability pension from Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). The department has been encouraging veterans who think they have a service-related illness to call for pension information. Since June, VAC has received over 700 calls related to this issue and has set up a special review team to handle the applications.
Veterans who think they have a service-related illness can call VAC at 1-866 522-2122 (English) or 1-866-522-2022 (French) for pension information.
Backgrounder:
Government of Canada Approach to Fact-Finding on the Use of Herbicides at CFB Gagetown
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For further information, please refer to www.forces.gc.ca.
