Backgrounder

Chemical Warfare Agent Testing Recognition Program

The Program

Setting things right

A recognition program will offer payments to Canadian veterans who volunteered to participate in chemical-warfare experiments, mainly in the Second World War era, in Suffield, Alberta, and Ottawa. Each eligible veteran will be offered a one-time payment of $24,000 in recognition of their service to Canada. The amount is comparable to previous payments to Canadian veterans. This payment is in addition to pension benefits to which these veterans may be eligible.

Recognition

At least as important as the monetary aspect, however, is that these veterans are now being recognized for their sacrifice and service.

Eligibility

Payment under this program is available to any veteran who:

• was a member of the Canadian military;
• volunteered and participated as a human test subject in chemical warfare agent experiments at:
  • Suffield, Alberta, from 1941 to the mid-1970s (although most of the testing took place in the Second World War era); or
  • Chemical Warfare Laboratories, Ottawa, 1941-45.

In cases where the veteran is deceased, certain surviving beneficiaries may be eligible.

Administration & application

An office has been established at DND to expedite payments for the chemical warfare test volunteers, and to refer those eligible to Veterans Affairs Canada for pension follow-up. The office will be fully functional by April 5 this year, and will remain open for applications for two years. The application process will be straightforward, open, veteran-centred, and will include a provision for appeals. Eligible veterans are encouraged to begin the application process by calling toll-free 1-800-883-6094 (Monday to Friday 8 am to 4 pm EST) or e-mailing recognition-application@forces.gc.ca From there, the veteran will be sent an application form, which, once returned, will allow DND to check the applicant's information against research data to determine eligibility.

Pension benefits continue

Until this new measure was announced, chemical warfare-experiment participants who were injured-like any Canadian veteran injured in service-were eligible for disability pension benefits through Veterans Affairs Canada. That is still true, and veterans may still apply for, or continue to receive, disability pension benefits in addition to any payment under the new recognition program.

The recognition program also includes a renewed commitment by Veterans Affairs Canada to expedite any new or current disability pension claims in this matter. Veterans Affairs Canada wants to reassure all veterans that the new emphasis on pension claims for chemical warfare experiment participants will in no way hinder the processing of any veteran's pension claim in any matter. Eligible veterans not already in receipt of a pension in this matter are encouraged to contact Veterans Affairs Canada toll-free at 1-866-522-2122 (English) or 1-866-522-2022 (French).

Program cost

It is estimated that the recognition program will cost approximately $50-million in total for payments and administration. This is a significant sum, but fiscal concerns must be weighed against the need to acknowledge exceptional service rendered by Canada's veterans.

The History

Canada's Role

It is estimated that approximately 3700 members of the Canadian military volunteered to participate as human subjects in secret chemical warfare agent experiments, held in Suffield, Alberta (from 1941 to the mid-1970s, but mainly in the Second World War era) and at Ottawa (1941-45).

The experimentation was driven by wartime urgency and the need to build defensive capability to weapons that had been used with terrible results in the First World War, which was at that time still a recent and painful memory.

Getting it out in the open

Knowledge of the experiments was no longer secret after the early 1970s, and the use of human volunteers as test subjects has been known since the late 1980s. In addition to Government disclosure on the subject, the story of the chemical test veterans has been the subject of at least one book, a documentary film, and numerous items in newspapers and on television and radio over the past many years.

In a ceremony at Suffield in May 2000-in the presence of many chemical-test veterans-then-Minister of National Defence Eggleton dedicated a plaque which read: "In recognition of those who suffered so that their comrades in arms might be spared the horrors of chemical warfare-they also served."

Some veterans who participated in chemical warfare experiments have commented that they felt constrained in coming forward to seek benefits due to secrecy conditions at the time of the tests. Veterans who may have been involved in chemical warfare experiments should feel reassured: secrecy conditions no longer apply for purposes of talking to government representatives for seeking benefits.

Reaching out

As part of a comprehensive review of Canada's chemical and biological defence activities, DND established in 1988 a telephone 'hotline' to handle inquiries from those who had participated in chemical-agent tests. The initiative was announced by the Minister of National Defence and promoted in national media. The hotline remained in place for two years and resulted in 129 calls-including 51 from callers concerned about activities in the 1940s-but was eventually discontinued due to low demand. VAC issued letters to these individuals informing them they could apply for a pension if they felt they had a disability possibly related to the testing. VAC also informed this group that the Bureau of Pension Advocates (BPA) could be contacted for assistance with preparing claims.

Research efforts

An archival search by the Department of National Defence has identified thousands of names of veterans involved in the experiments at Suffield and Ottawa. DND and Veterans Affairs Canada research teams have been working together for months now to track down addresses for personnel involved in testing who are not currently on record with VAC.

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• DND News Release