Mr. Speaker, understanding the use of herbicides at CFB Gagetown is an ongoing priority for the government. The Department of National Defence has come up with a strong, comprehensive plan to find answers to the questions of many Canadians. I welcome this opportunity to share the information we have and actions national defence has already taken and intends to take in the near future.
As the Minister of National Defence has repeated in the House, the government is determined to identify and report on as many of the facts as possible regarding the use of herbicides at CFB Gagetown from 1952 to the present day.
To this end, the Department of National Defence developed a comprehensive fact finding plan. The fact finding strategy is well-known since it has been made widely available to the public and the media. In fact, the Minister of National Defence has spoken about it in the House several times.
Let me briefly review the action plan for the benefit of hon. members. The government will identify Canadian forces members and civilian employees who were present when herbicides were sprayed at CFB Gagetown from 1952 to the present date. It will collect data regarding the use, disposal and management of all herbicides used at CFB Gagetown since 1952. Finally, it wants to understand the relationship between the use of herbicides at CFB Gagetown and its effect on human health.
Thorough fact finding, rigorous science and a transparent process are essential in order for the government to develop an appropriate response.
Moreover, as a longer term project, National Defence will initiate research to review the use of herbicides at military bases across Canada.
While we have no record of any unregistered products being tested at other CF bases, this longer term project will also determine whether any unregistered products are used at our CF bases.
I am pleased to report that we have made progress and are going forward with the fact finding tasks. As we speak, soil testing is under way at CFB Gagetown and the results will be available and made public in the coming months.
We have all heard about the resignation of Mr. Blaney as the fact finding and outreach coordinator due to health reasons. The government is working to identify a new coordinator and should be able to announce a replacement soon.
The Department of National Defence has set up a 1-800 number for the public to report information that might be of use as part of the fact finding and outreach process. Anybody who has information on this issue should call 1-866-558-2945.
Current and former employees of National Defence and other federal government employees who feel they may suffer from an occupational illness as a result of exposure to herbicides used during the course of their employment may submit the details of their claim to the DND civilian human resources office in Gagetown and the regional injury compensation unit in Moncton, respectively.