Mr. Speaker, last Thursday the Minister of National Defence and the Minister of Veterans Affairs made an important announcement.
I rise today to remind all members of the importance of their new initiative to recognize Canadian veterans who volunteered to participate in chemical warfare agent experiments during the 1940s and the 1970s at Suffield and Ottawa.
Veterans will be offered a one time payment of $24,000 in recognition of their service, and in cases where the veteran has passed away, certain surviving beneficiaries may be eligible for the payment.
Too often we Canadians take our veterans for granted. That is why this initiative is premised on recognizing these veterans for their service to their country. I hope those who participated in these tests so long ago will come forward so that the government might, in the words of the Minister of National Defence, “set things right”.
It is never too late to salute those who bravely sacrificed so much to defend our country so long ago. I trust that all members will join me in praising this long overdue initiative.