Agent Orange payment excludes too many

For the families of Agent Orange victims, Feb. 6, 2006 is a very significant date.

This day determines whether or not they will receive ex gratia payments from the Conservative government- a one-time, tax-free payment of $20,000 to the families of veterans affected by the testing of unregistered U.S. military herbicides, including Agent Orange, at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in 1966 and 1967.

Bette Hudson will be a thorn in the government's side until it recognises and compensates familes like hers.

However, the families only qualify for the compensation if their relatives passed away after Feb. 6, 2006, when the Conservative party came into office.

Richard Roik, the director of communications for the Minister of Veteran Affairs, says that no exceptions will be made because that is when the current government became responsible for the issue.

Also, applications were to be submitted before Apr. 1, 2009.

Minister of Veteran Affairs Greg Thompson says this deadline may be extended in “extenuating circumstances,” such as if a potential applicant had been outside of the country for an extended period and had not heard about the application deadline in time.

These restrictions on compensation have been criticized by many veterans and their families. Widows on a Warpath, a group of 80 women whose husbands died from illnesses associated with Agent Orange, are fighting the Feb. 6 and Apr. 1 dates. As explained on the group’s website, their struggle is dedicated to “our husbands who did not have the ‘foresight’ to die on or after the date set by the government of Feb. 6, 2006.”

Founder Bette Hudson, whose husband died in 2004, says the money is not the group’s main concern. She says the women want the government to recognize the effect that Agent Orange had on their husbands’ lives.

“It’s not the money, it’s the principle,” she says. “Our goal is to throw out that date.”

Not backing down

She says that although the Apr. 1 date has not been changed, the Widows will continue to fight until they receive what they believe they deserve - payments and a formal apology from the government.

“We will continue this battle,” she says. “We’ll meet on the 21st of April, and we will come up with new strategies and new tactics to carry on…the battle will continue.”

Hudson says the group’s future plans may involve a trip to Ottawa.

Opposition members of parliament have joined their cause. Peter Stoffer, NDP Veteran Affairs critic, has called on the Conservatives to extend the Apr. 1 deadline and has described the payments as “astonishingly low.”

“I think it’s absolutely cruel what they did,” he says. “To tell someone if you die after, then you can apply, but if you die before you don’t qualify…Don’t forget, [the Conservatives] screamed and yelled at the Liberals, saying ‘we would do so much more, so much better,’ I find that unforgivable.”

There are also strict regulations for those who died after Feb. 6, 2006. To qualify, the person must have lived or worked within five kilometres of the base between 1966-67.

Also, their cause of death must be found in the list of illnesses associated with Agent Orange exposure, as stipulated by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. This includes Hodgkin’s disease, lymphoma, respiratory cancers, prostate cancer, and type II diabetes.

As of Mar. 23 Veteran Affairs Canada has received 3,355 applications. Of these, 2,153 have been approved and 878 were denied.

Leftover cash debated

CFB Gagetown was the focal point of the Canadian Agent Orange sprayings.

There has also been controversy over the allocation of the remaining money. The federal government set aside $95.6 million for the compensation payments, but not all of this money is expected to be paid out. The government says the remaining money will be returned to general revenue.

Bob Butt, director of communications for the Royal Canadian Legion, says the leftover money should go towards veterans' programs.

“We’re reasonably happy with the fact that the government has decided to spend the money for the people, but we are not happy with the restrictive guidelines they have imposed,” he says. “They overestimated what they would pay out, and instead of opening up the dates a little further, this money won’t be spent.”

He says that the Legion’s committee will be meeting soon to discuss how it will further address the situation.

This is not an issue that will simply go away. Veterans and their families are currently engaged in a class action law suit against the government and are also calling for a public inquiry about the federal government’s handling of the issue.

Cover image courtesy of U.S. National Archives

A survivor's story

Lorne Amos was training at base Gagetown when it was sprayed with Agent Orange.