Mr.Speaker, the Prime Minister is known as Mr. Dithers with all his broken promises and his demonstrated lack of respect for democracy.
Since I asked my question for the Prime Minister about his fear of selecting an independent watchdog for the military, the Prime Minister went ahead and made the appointment anyway, once again running roughshod over a parliamentary committee.
One of the highlights of Mr. Marin's career as the first military ombudsman was the role he played in obtaining compensation for soldiers who were used as test subjects for chemical agent testing during World War II. It took 60 years for the government to accept responsibility. Unfortunately, many of those veterans were deceased before any recognition was made. This must not be allowed to happen again.
I have requested that the new ombudsman, Mr. Côté, conduct a similar independent inquiry on behalf of those individuals who were exposed to various chemicals, the so-called rainbow herbicides, including agent orange, either as a member of the military or as an individual who was exposed to these chemicals. I suggested that his response to the victims of chemical testing done by the military should serve as a standard by which to judge his term in office.
Canada owes it to its veterans and their families to end the uncertainty from being diagnosed with mystery ailments that exposure to these chemicals may cause. A proper diagnosis would result in timely treatment.