For a period of 28 years from 1956 to 1984 DND indiscriminately sprayed millions of litres of Agent Orange and other highly toxic defoliants on CFB Gagetown exposing thousands of military personnel and civilians to their deadly effects. In 2007 the government offered a one time payout of $20.000 to those who were exposed and presented diseases or conditions related to Agent Orange exposure, however as with much of what this government does the devil is in the details.
According to Canada's veterans ombudsman, Veterans affairs is using every loophole and technicality to deny those deserving of even this meager payout “The definitions used by Veterans Affairs Canada would not withstand public or legal scrutiny,” ombudsman Guy Parent wrote in a statement, adding, “This is nothing short of scandalous.”
Here is an example of how far they are prepared to push the envelop in their zeal to deny compensation. Debbie Bertrand exposed as a child while living on the base has been denied compensation because she made the mistake of being diagnosed after the arbitrary cut off date of June 30th ,2011. "We as kids weren't given a choice of where we were allowed to live when our fathers were in the military," said Bertrand. "We just happened to be there at that time and that place."
On a side note Agent Orange is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. Thanks to Monsanto's Round Up resistant crops, weeds are becoming more resistant to herbicides. To control these new "Super Weeds" farmers are now required to use massive amounts of Agent Orange.
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