A4

MICHAEL STAPLES
canadaeast news service

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FREDERICTON - Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson is accusing Fredericton Liberal MP Andy Scott of playing politics with the emotional issue of Agent Orange compensation.

Thompson rejected calls by Scott on Wednesday to "do the right thing" and change the compensation criteria for the victims of Agent Orange testing.

"This is just politics in bright-red letters," Thompson said. "Andy is smart enough to know how complicated this is."

The federal government announced a $95.6-million compensation package last fall for veterans and civilians affected by the U.S. military's spraying of Agent Orange at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown during the 1960s.

Those who qualify and meet a number of medical requirements are eligible for a one-time, $20,000 ex-gratia payment. But payouts are only considered for primary caregivers of individuals who died on or after Feb. 6, 2006 - the date the Harper government took office.

To date Veterans Affairs Canada has written 1,584 cheques for a total amount of $31,860,000.

Thompson said Scott was part of the government for 13 years and ignored the issue.

"He had an opportunity to do something and did absolutely nothing, and I emphasize nothing," Thompson said. "His failure to do it (act) is what I would question. We acted, I think, in a very principled and very compassionate way."

Thompson urged Scott to step away from the political side of the issue and acknowledge what the Tories have accomplished.

Thompson said it would be great if the government could broaden the parameters of the compensation deal but that isn't possible.

"A lot of that information is missing and makes it impossible to act and that's why we took responsibility from the day we were sworn into government. We did that simply because of the passage of time and missing information. It will be impossible to move off that date because, once you do that, you would have the same circus."

Thompson said situations could emerge where the medical records for a widow on one side of a street would be available and another living on the opposite side would not.

Thompson said the compensation is "full and fair" given the parameters and passage of time.

"We acted fairly and compassionately based on the information we have."

Scott rejected the suggestion he is playing politics.

"I have been anything but political about this for the whole time," Scott said. "It is only now they are demonstrating that the limitations of the criteria is so great and that the payout is significantly less than they imagined was necessary. Let them rewrite the criteria."

Scott said he always felt that the announced compensation package was not as generous as it could have been but decided to allow the process to play out to see to what extent it worked.

Scott said the amount of money paid out has been significantly less than was anticipated and that has translated into an expression of inadequacy.

"I think that the existence of money remaining, which the minister secured around the problem, should be made available (to those who need it) and that would require a change in the criteria," Scott said. "Now that they've seen that the present criteria does not pay out as they thought, it gives them this opportunity."

Bette Hudson, who speaks for the Lincoln-based group Military Widows on a War Path, said her group has been working on ways to be included in the compensation package. Her group represents people who do not fall within the parameters established by the government.

Hudson said her group welcomes any support they can get.

"The government should be taken to task," Hudson said. "This is a disgusting thing that they're doing."

The group says as many as 20,000 widows would be eligible for the one-time $20,000 compensation payment if the time limitation was removed.