Mr. Speaker, Harry Flander joined the Canadian army during World War II so he could do his part for his country.
He completed basic training and was one of dozens of soldiers transferred to the Suffield Experimental Station where he underwent chemical weapons tests.
Mr. Flander had to swear secrecy about the tests and was told he would go to jail if he ever told anyone. Military scientists placed mustard gas on Mr. Flander's arms. They instructed him to walk through gas chambers. They drove him into a field and dropped gas all over him. These experiments left Mr. Flander with chronic chest pains and egg size blisters.
For more than 50 years he lied to his doctors and his family about the cause of the scars on his body. His mother and two sons died without ever knowing what caused them.
Now that the Suffield experiments have been declassified, Mr. Flander and hundreds of other Suffield victims are free to speak. So far they have been rebuffed by the government for recognition and compensation.
I hope we can agree that Mr. Flander and other Suffield victims deserve our thanks for their sacrifices. This government—