Mr. Speaker, conclusive scientific evidence on gulf war syndrome verifies that neurological damage occurs when two pesticides, deet and permethrin, are used in combination with the anti-nerve gas agent pyridostigmine bromide.
University of Glasgow studies show neurological dysfunction in gulf war vets and the U.S. Defence Department confirms use of chemical weapons on seven occasions during the first week of the
war, including the area of Hafr Al-Batin where some Canadians served. These confirmed the 1991 Czech and French reports of the presence of chemical agents in this area.
On May 16 the defence minister said that veterans affairs would review gulf war veterans' disability applications, assuring that those who display symptoms will be given the benefit of the doubt for treatment and compensation.
However, current regulations accept only disabilities with medically recognized symptoms. These regulations must be changed to recognize the chronic and multiple disabilities from which our gulf war veterans suffer. Talk is not enough. Action is needed now.