Veterans Affairs Committee on March 19th, 2013

Evidence of meeting #63 for Veterans Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was research.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Depleted Uranium and Canadian Veterans

Committee Business

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Lt N) Louise Richard ((Retired), As an Individual

Marie Richard As an Individual

Eric Daxon Research Leader, Battelle Memorial Institute, As an Individual

10:40 a.m.

Research Leader, Battelle Memorial Institute, As an Individual

Dr. Eric Daxon

You use that term “never” again, and I have a wall I have to contend with, but I'll speak plainly. Based on the Canadian exposures that I read in the report, all the exposures were level III, which means they're well below safety standards. Almost by definition, that means the likelihood of adverse health effects—and I'm being really cautious here—is very low. I'm speaking to two audiences. I'm speaking to you and I'm also speaking to my peers, because they will check up on me.

10:40 a.m.

Conservative

Wladyslaw Lizon Conservative Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON

Therefore, going forward—

10:40 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer

Sorry, Mr. Lizon.

Dr. Daxon, you said they were below safety standards. Do you mean they wouldn't have been above safety...? Okay. Now I've got it. I apologize.

10:45 a.m.

Research Leader, Battelle Memorial Institute, As an Individual

Dr. Eric Daxon

The exposures were safe, to speak plainly.

10:45 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer

Yes, sir. Thank you.

Mr. Lizon, sorry.

10:45 a.m.

Conservative

Wladyslaw Lizon Conservative Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON

Do you believe misconceptions about depleted uranium health effects can hurt soldiers and their families?

10:45 a.m.

Research Leader, Battelle Memorial Institute, As an Individual

Dr. Eric Daxon

Yes, I do. The vignette about my neck pain is why. It was very much stress. I was treated for stress and I haven't had an episode since.

10:45 a.m.

Conservative

Wladyslaw Lizon Conservative Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON

The report states that you and your colleagues were asked if you thought the report was clear, accurate, coherent, and complete. Would you agree that these terms accurately describe this final report?

10:45 a.m.

Research Leader, Battelle Memorial Institute, As an Individual

Dr. Eric Daxon

Yes, with one small exception. The term “shrapnel” is used in there, and in the U.S. that's a very narrowly defined term. It should have been “fragment”.

10:45 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer

Dr. Daxon, Mr. Lizon, thank you very much.

We greatly appreciate your time. Sorry for the cold weather you're experiencing here.

10:45 a.m.

Research Leader, Battelle Memorial Institute, As an Individual

Dr. Eric Daxon

I love it. Thank you.

10:45 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer

If there's anything you can present to us in writing in the future that you may think of, or if you have more testimony that you would like to add, we'd be honoured to have that.

On behalf of the committee, thank you very much for coming here.

Members of the committee, I'll just let you know that Thursday's meeting will be at 1 Wellington, near the Château.

Thank you. That's it. God love you.

The meeting is adjourned.