Received the following from Fred Leblanc and it is of interest to those who served in Gagetown. This first portion is from the address given in Ottawa by Karen Ellis. The second part following the (........) is reality. OPENING REMARKS FOR KAREN ELLIS ADM (INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENT) DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE BEFORE THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL DEFENCE AND VETERANS AFFAIRS OTTAWA, ONTARIO 21 JUNE 2005 Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee: There has been significant media coverage regarding the testing of Agent Orange and Agent Purple at CFB Gagetown in 1966 and 1967. We welcome the opportunity to provide you with the facts as we know them, to share with you what we have learned in recent weeks and what we do not know, and to set out our next steps. We will do the same for the Gagetown Community on Thursday. As the Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure & Environment), I am responsible for environmental issues in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces. I am joined here today by General Ray Romses, the Army Commander for the Atlantic Region and Mr Bryson Guptill, Director Service and Program Modernization Task Force of Veterans Affairs Canada and Ms. Sandy Williamson, Director of Strategic Policy and Programs of Veterans Affairs Canada. Introduction At the outset, I want to make it clear that the Minister of National Defence has asked the department to compile as much information as possible on this matter for the Government’s consideration. He is committed to appropriate action based on a fuller picture of the history and the facts. The CFB Gagetown Test In 1966 and 1967 Agent Orange and Agent Purple were manufactured specifically for military brush control purposes. Colour code names were coined by the US military for these different defoliants. For three days in June 1966 and four days in June 1967 small scale testing of various defoliants and desiccants, including the defoliants known as Agent Orange and Agent Purple took place at CFB Gagetown. What I mean by small scale is that the tests were done on 472 acres out of the 271, 816 acres that make up CFB Gagetown. In fact the defoliants Orange and Purple were used only on 83 acres. This testing was for brush control purposes. The testing was conducted in cooperation with the United States military in order to evaluate the effectiveness of these products as defoliants. To the best of our knowledge, and with the available records, this is the only cooperative defoliant testing that we have done with the United States military. Old records indicate that both countries would benefit from brush control testing and evaluation and that Canada would benefit from the technical advice, which could be given by US experts. Both countries had personnel involved in the testing. The 1966 tests · The first tests were conducted during the period of 14 to 16 June 1966. The site was located in the western portion of Base Gagetown between Broad Road and Blissville Road. It was approximately 4 miles long by 1200 feet wide. · A total of 116 plots, each 200 by 600-feet (for a total of 320 acres) with a 100-foot buffer strip between plots were used for the tests. Of the plots, 107 were sprayed; the remaining nine plots were left as check plots. · A total of 9 herbicide products were tested in 1966 · For the entire test, 55 US gallons (1 drum) of Agent Orange were sprayed on 14 plots (38.5 acres), 55 US gallons of Agent Purple (1 drum) were sprayed on 14 plots (38.5 acres). The l967 tests · The second tests were conducted during the period of 21 to 24 June 1967. The test area was located along Rippon Road and east of Broad Road. · 50 plots, each 200 by 660 feet (for a total of 152 acres) with a 200-foot buffer zone between adjacent plots, were laid out on both sides of Rippon Road. · A total of 15 herbicides were tested in 1967. · Agent Orange was sprayed on a total of 6 acres for a total quantity of 18 gallons of herbicide. The available records indicate that these tests consisted of spraying the defoliants and desiccants in two separate areas of the base. The plots chosen for the testing were deemed appropriate at the time because they consisted of the right mix and density of forest. The location of the two test sites also took in to consideration their proximity to local croplands. The testing was conducted under strictly controlled conditions, ensuring minimal spray drift, in an area of the base that was difficult to access. Helicopters were used and flew low over treetops to ensure a spray swatch of 50 feet. Records indicate that spraying was conducted when there was little or no wind. etc etc etc....End Quote (HERE IS WHERE REALITY SETS IN - NOTHING LIKE FACTS to confuse politicians:) OVERVIEW OF HERBICIDE SPRAY PROGRAMME 1956-1984 1956 3,687 Acres sprayed with 2, 4, D and 2, 4, 5, T 1957 3,879 Acres sprayed with 2, 4, D and 2, 4, 5, T 1958 8,018 Acres sprayed with 2, 4, D and 2, 4, 5, T 1959 No spraying 1960 9,079 Acres sprayed with AMMATE and 2, 4, 5, T 1961 5,189 Acres sprayed with 2, 4, 5, T 1962 No spraying 1963 9,643 Acres sprayed with 2, 4, D and 2, 4, 5, T 1964 9,225 Acres sprayed with 2, 4, D and 2, 4, 5, T 1965 4,708 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 1966 8,431 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 & unknown amount of Acres sprayed with Agent Purple 1967 7,375 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 & unknown amount of Acres sprayed with Agent Purple 2,000 Acres sprayed with 2, 4, D 1968 5,675 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 1969 3,710 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 1970 9,550 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 1971 9,625 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 1972 10,213 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 1973 8,664 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 1974 4,144 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 3,149 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 1975 8,855 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 1976 6,041 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 1977 5,963 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 300 Acres (approx) sprayed with SPIKE 5P 1978 6,055 Acres sprayed with TORDON 101 60 Acres (approx) sprayed with SPIKE 5P 1979 2,982 Acres sprayed with TORDON 10K 102 Acres (approx) sprayed with SPIKE 5P 1980 4,795 Acres sprayed with TORDON 10K 1981 1,847 Hectares (4564 Acres) sprayed with TORDON 10K 102 Hectares (252 Acres) sprayed with HERBEC 20P 1982 1,531 Hectares (3783 Acres) sprayed with TORDON 10K 1983 1,455 Hectares (3595 Acres) sprayed with TORDON 10K 183 Hectares (452 Acres) sprayed with HERBEC 20P 1984 2,825 Hectares (6980 Acres) sprayed with DYCLEER LH+ Unknown acres sprayed with SILVAPROP (but 550 barrels used) Total Acreage sprayed from 1956 to 1984 - 181,038 Acres sprayed with 6,504 (45 gallon barrels) or 292,680 gallons or 1,328,767 litres of defoliant chemicals