Tuesday, December 12, 2006

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Err on side of compassion

They should be compensated for their innocent compliance to gevernment instructions

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Err on side of compassion: "After decades of both Liberal and Conservative governments denying this spraying even went on — some of it during the testing of Agent Orange for use in Vietnam — the previous Liberal government finally admitted the truth and approved a handful of compensation claims.
But, as reported by Sun National Affairs columnist Greg Weston, the federal bureaucracy has now got hold of the issue and has been trying to minimize the scope of the problem. It has also set what critics say is an impossibly high standard of proof for those making claims.
It’s time Canada erred on the side of compassion on this issue, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised to do in the last election.
(American experts have linked overexposure to Agent Orange to such diseases as cancer and various immune, reproductive and nervous system disorders.)
Some of the vets now planning a class-action suit over this issue have been advised by their lawyer not to accept any federal offers of compensation because they will have to give up the right to sue.
We think our vets are capable of deciding for themselves whether a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
Which is why the Tories should do what they said they would do and offer them a fair compensation deal. Now. "

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