BG–05.022 - August 16, 2005
The Coordinator has two key responsibilities. First, he will be the principal conduit of information between those with concerns and the Government of Canada. The Coordinator will hear the concerns of the community, ensure those concerns are communicated to both government and those completing the fact-finding tasks, and will inform the community about the fact-finding work being conducted for the government.
As the primary focus of his work, he will communicate with people who have concerns, including current and former citizens who live and lived near the base, current and former CF members and current and former civilian employees of DND who may have been present during the spraying of herbicides at CFB Gagetown from 1952 to present. Included in this outreach are those people who have been identified as being present during the testing of Agent Orange, Agent Purple and other herbicides in 1966 and 1967.
The Coordinator will provide a report to the Minister of National Defence documenting his discussions with people, including some personal comments. This report will be an important consideration in subsequent decisions made by the Government of Canada.
The Coordinator may also suggest additional research that could be useful to the government in dealing with this issue.
Secondly, the Coordinator will be the guardian of the fact-finding process. He will liaise with the Government of Canada through a committee of assistant deputy ministers from departments including the Department of National Defence, Veterans Affairs Canada, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency.
Through ongoing liaison with government, the Coordinator will be able to assure that information is shared between the different aspects of the project to ensure consistency and thoroughness. He will provide relevant information obtained from government to the local population, and inform the government of any findings, information and questions that emerge through his outreach activities.
The Coordinator will establish an office in the Oromocto area and will have a small staff to support his activities.
The Coordinator will work with government officials responsible for coordinating three fact-finding tasks (for more detail of these tasks, see associated fact sheets).
The Coordinator will co-chair, with DND's Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment), three steering committees that oversee the fact-finding tasks. He will also share and explain final report results to the public as soon as they are received.
The Government will use a fair, open and competitive process will be used to select the non-government experts to undertake these three essential tasks.
These tasks will help provide a clear and consistent set of facts that will allow the Government of Canada to make responsible, informed decisions about future actions.
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