Veterans Affairs
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Mr. Peter Stoffer (Sackville—Eastern Shore, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, two Fridays ago, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs gave a very cold and deliberately misleading statement to my question on agent orange.
I would now like for the parliamentary secretary to stand, look in the camera and tell Agnes Conrad of Nova Scotia, Rose Gravelle of New Brunswick, Chris Young of Ontario, Fredrick Weaver of British Columbia and thousands of others who have been denied agent orange assistance even though the Prime Minister and the Minister of Veterans Affairs promised that they would get it.
Would he please stand, face the camera and tell those people how happy they should be on what you did on agent orange compensation?
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The Speaker:
The hon. member maybe was intending to address his remarks to the Chair and may have addressed the parliamentary secretary instead.
The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs.
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Mr. Greg Kerr (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure, in the way the member phrased his question, that he was intent on getting a serious answer on what has been a most serious issue facing many Canadians who were around CFB Gagetown in the years 1966-67.
The fact is that was 40-some years ago and it has been looked at and studied. The previous Liberal government totally ignored dealing with the issue. I think even the member would acknowledge the fact that it was our government that stepped up. We provided ex gratia payments because it was so difficult to get the records all straight. We responded to the issue--
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The Speaker:
The hon. member for Sackville—Eastern Shore.
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Mr. Peter Stoffer (Sackville—Eastern Shore, NDP):
With great respect to my colleague from Nova Scotia, Mr. Speaker, it was not 40 years ago. The spraying in Gagetown happened from 1958 to 1984. He knows that very well. He also knows that the Minister of Veterans Affairs, when in opposition, promised on four separate occasions to call for a public judicial inquiry to get all those documents and call for the facts of this. He also knows that the Prime Minister was in Gagetown in 2006 and promised that everybody from 1958 to 1984 would be looked after. That is simply not what has happened.
Will the parliamentary secretary now rise in his place and do two things: first, extend the compensation deadline for agent orange--
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The Speaker:
The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs.
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Mr. Greg Kerr (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, it is most unfortunate that the member, who should have knowledge of the veterans as much as anybody should in the House, would deliberately point out something that is absolutely erroneous.
The program that was put in by this government was for people who were hit in 1966-67 by agent orange. The program has been very effective. Over 2,100 people have been recognized and have in fact been sent cheques.
I would also point out that, as emotional as the member gets, it is a shame that his leader and party have not supported any of the programs for veterans in Canada.
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