[Translation]
Good morning.
Thank you for finally agreeing to talk about depleted uranium. It's a sensitive subject, I know. But not so for me; it's a matter of survival. I am here for one reason only. My pressure tactics have always been solely for the purpose of receiving care with dignity. I am sorry to say I found the report I saw bitterly disappointing, and I will tell you why.
I want to start by thanking Minister Blaney for finally agreeing to a discussion on uranium poisoning and for taking a stand. Now, we have at least one tool to work from, and that is the decision made by the current government. Unfortunately, its report does not state what uranium is, merely what it is not. Nowhere does the report address the effects on the reproductive system. And yet, that is the first system affected. Dr. Gosselin, a urology specialist, told me that my inability to have children—my sterility—was directly tied to uranium poisoning. Why does Dr. Morisset's report make absolutely no mention of that?
The report is said to be impartial. That's fine, but why did those conducting the study refuse to hear from Sister Rosalie Bertell? She is a Canadian and was the United Nation's chief medical officer during the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. I can't understand why an impartial committee would refuse to hear from such a highly qualified Canadian expert. She is an authority in the field. So forgive me for questioning the report's impartiality.
The first attachment you were provided with may help to explain why the report is incomplete. It's an article by the Canadian Press. It says that the Canadian government has a tendency to interfere in research that involves ecology, the economy and defence. And uranium fits in all three of those categories. I want to sincerely thank those Canadian scientists who think like I do and who voiced their views publicly.
Dr. Morisset's report says that uranium exposure is unlikely to cause health problems. I would point to the Department of Veterans Affairs Act, which stipulates that, if there is a doubt, the benefit of the doubt goes to the claimant. As for my own medical history, I have undergone four psychiatric assessments, all of which showed that I had no psychosomatic illness and that I did not suffer from a mental illness. I do have an operational stress injury, but it does not explain my sterility, my immune deficiency problems or my chronic throat ulcers. No psychosomatic illness can affect the kidneys, but uranium can.
When he appeared before you, Dr. Morisset said that the report was meant to inform veterans. That's great. Why, then, does the report not indicate what constitutes a worrisome level of exposure to uranium? To my mind, that is the first question that should be asked. In Dr. Morisset's report, which he says is meant to inform us, he indicates that the U.S. treats American soldiers with uranium poisoning at a hospital in Baltimore. Why does he not inform us of those treatment options?
I have had uranium poisoning since 1996, and I have known about it since 2000. I have spent 13 years now chasing down treatment all over the world. Whenever I see specialists, they always tell me that the science is not advanced enough in this field and that we don't know enough about the harmful effects of depleted uranium on human health. They say it's necessary to rule out all possible causes before they can attribute all the remaining effects to uranium exposure. That's how medicine works, from what the specialists have told me.
Different Canadian specialists, at Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis, as well as institutions in Ontario and Nova Scotia, have told me, on four occasions, that the only possible cause of my health problems was uranium poisoning. And yet, according to Dr. Morisset's report, that is unlikely. I sincerely hope the veterans affairs minister will read the section of the act stipulating that, in the event of doubt, the benefit of the doubt goes to the claimant. In my own case, reasonable doubt does exist. I can prove it, and I am going to have fun with the media in that respect, mark my words. Will the minister adhere to his own legislation or not? I look forward to meeting with him. I am extremely worried.
The Canadian Forces vehemently deny using weapons containing depleted uranium. If there's no problem with the use of depleted uranium weapons, especially if they are much less expensive than those containing tungsten, why doesn't the army use them?
While Canada says it doesn't use depleted uranium, the report addresses solely weapons. Why is there no talk of the explosive reactive armour we used in Bosnia on our Grizzli, Bison and Cougar tanks? During that mission, we needed extra armour for our tanks. The only thing protecting us, those of us who were supposed to maintain the vehicle, from porcelain plates of depleted uranium was a piece of canvas. I can tell you that when we were driving on unmarked roads, it damaged those armour plates and we had to replace them. The mere act of replacing them meant that we were breathing in radioactive dust.
Dr. Morisset asserts that some U.S. soldiers have large chunks of uranium in their bodies without any real problems. That is true. It's not the large chunks that are the problem, but the microdust. When you breathe in a cloud of radioactive dust, it enters your respiratory tract. Then those particles travel from the pulmonary alveoli to the blood and migrate to the bone marrow.
I am telling you that I have a bone marrow disease that is directly linked to uranium poisoning, according to the four groups of specialists I consulted. Dr. Morisset can say what he likes about the unlikelihood of uranium poisoning among Canadian soldiers. The documents accompanying my brief include one of the uranium contamination tests that I underwent. You'll see that it's quite the graph. I am in the red: I am 61 times more radioactive than the acceptable limit.
Dr. Morisset pointed to the fact that certain populations have fairly high radiation levels, but he made no mention of fertility problems or deformed and extremely sick newborns. There is a direct correlation with those high levels of radiation.
There is something else tremendously hurtful in the Canadian government's treatment of its veterans. Canada has previously acknowledged harm caused to radioactive veterans who served as guinea pigs in connection with the Manhattan Project at the end of the Second World War. Although it took the Canadian government 60 years, it did recognize that those past veterans had suffered uranium poisoning.
Up until 1995, the Department of Veterans Affairs had compensation charts. You can check; the information's included in the attachments I provided. Why is a distinction being made between old veterans and new veterans? Why is it acceptable to recognize the radioactivity-related problems of our veteran predecessors, but not us, young veterans? That is unfair. There are precedents. Less than two years ago, you passed legislation on case law. Can you please respect your own laws?
When you do things like that, we get the message loud and clear. And I was just a corporal in the army. How do you think that affects the confidence military personnel have in the chain of command? They are asked to demonstrate loyalty. No member of the military will ever complain because loyalty is part and parcel of their duty. But do you ever allow military personnel to question the loyalty they are shown, when they are told that old veterans were entitled to something that they aren't? We're being told that it's not the same for us, young veterans, that radioactivity affects us less. Believe me when I say those words hurt.
In his report, Dr. Morisset discusses uranium miners. I hope the labour standards in Canada's uranium mines are high enough to protect miners. Everyone knows they work in a contaminated area, a high-risk zone. But, since they have the benefit of protective equipment while working in high-risk zones, they are better off than we, the members of the military, are out in the field.
Dr. Morisset confirmed that we, members of the military, had absolutely no tools to determine whether or not we were in a uranium-contaminated zone. The only tool we had was the DT-60 you see here. It's a disc-shaped indicator that provides no reading. Only our chain of command had the ability to read the results when analyzing the device. We were ordered to wear it at all times on our ID or dog tag, so it could be read when we returned from a mission.
In 1996, when we returned from our mission, all the DT-60s were read, and then they conveniently disappeared. The person who did my DT-60 reading told me that I had the highest level of radiation of everyone. He told me to keep it because it might come in handy one day. I have it on me today. I never take it off. If you want proof of my radiation level, I have it here.
Under the Access to Information Act, I learned that the Canadian Forces had tested me for uranium. I found that, while I was in hospital in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, I had been tested for uranium exposure. Both times, the results showed that I was 61 times more radioactive than the tolerated standard. Why didn't the army tell me that I had uranium poisoning? Why did I have to go through civilian channels and fight for that information? If depleted uranium does not have adverse effects on health, why do they test us? Why are those tests hidden from members of the military?
The Canadian government does not want to acknowledge that I have uranium poisoning. When I joined the forces at 19, I was in such good shape that I was sent for biathlon training. I was actually so fit that I was considered an Olympic hopeful. In 2000, during my mission in East Timor, I lost 35 pounds of muscle mass in 9 days, and I haven't been healthy since. I went from an athletic specimen to someone who has a disability, legally speaking.
The Department of Veterans Affairs claims that I have absolutely no problems. But how do you explain the fact that my exit from the Canadian Forces was for medical reasons without the slightest diagnosis and that I still have serious health problems today, even needing a wheelchair to get around at times? How can needing a wheelchair be related to having post-traumatic stress disorder? The seventh conclusion in Dr. Morisset's report suggests that the problems may be in our heads.
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a serious and important illness. I have lost comrades in arms to suicide. But PTSD does not explain everything. Keep in mind that a person is made up of body and mind. I sometimes get the feeling that PTSD is used as a diagnostic dumping ground, if you will, to explain any problems that they don't really want answers to.
The report states that it is unlikely that Canadian soldiers have been exposed to harmful levels of uranium. I joined the army as soon as I finished school. It's the only job I've ever had. While I was in the army, I was tested and the results came back positive for uranium. How do you explain that? How else could I have ended up with such a high level of radiation in my body if not by being in the army?
It is a fact that both the Valcartier and Longue-Pointe bases put out public calls for tender for the decontamination of storage areas contaminated by heavy metals, including depleted uranium. I actually obtained the information on the storage areas on the Internet, thanks to the Access to Information Act. And if I can find it, anyone can.
When I ended my hunger strike, the Minister of Veterans Affairs promised me that I would receive appropriate care for my condition. I am still waiting. What is my condition? What care can they offer me? The only thing I was offered was psychiatric treatment, but no one was ever able to tell me what the goal of the treatment plan was. After 10 months of rehabilitation without the slightest goal, I felt like I was wasting taxpayers' money, so I asked to stop the treatment. I was troubled by the fact that they were bringing someone in twice a week to go for a walk with me. The person had to travel from Montreal to Quebec City and back every time. I was so uncomfortable with the idea of taxpayers' money being spent like that, that I wanted it to stop.
I want to make something clear. All the specialists I saw regarding my uranium exposure came to the same conclusion. Uranium poisoning is a health problem we know little about today, just like AIDS in the late 1970s.
Unfortunately, there aren't any real tools that can help. According to former UN chief medical officer Rosalie Bertell, the only tangible thing that can help is drinking distilled water.
After that, the Department of Veterans Affairs acknowledged that I suffered from chronic fatigue, chronic pain and fibromyalgia. Why wasn't I treated for those symptoms? The department can deny everything, but what will it do to help us get better? There has to be the tiniest bit of accountability.
Mr. Chair, am I out of time?
Unfortunately, Rosalie Bertell is no longer alive, but her team continues to do her work. They are continuing her research. I had the opportunity to communicate with her by email. I wrote to her, and to my surprise, she wrote back herself. She told me that she had repeatedly provided reports on uranium poisoning to the Canadian government, but no attention was paid to them.
As I said earlier, she advised me to drink large quantities of distilled water, precisely to slow the degenerative process caused by depleted uranium poisoning. She told me that when you first breathe in radioactive dust, it finds a home in the pulmonary alveoli before moving into the blood stream. If the army had given me dialysis within the first six months after my Bosnia mission, I would still be healthy enough to serve my country today. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. My blood was not filtered.
Depleted uranium, like mercury and the other heavy metals, does not eliminate itself from the body. Over time, it settles in the bone marrow. And that's when you start to see serious effects on the immune system and the reproductive system. I told her that I used to be fertile, that I had, in fact, impregnated someone, but that I was now completely and irreversibly sterile. I asked her if she thought my sterility could be attributed solely to uranium, and she said yes. She even said that contaminated regions like Iraq had tremendous birth-related problems.
She told me that the abnormally high number of cancer and leukemia cases in Sarajevo could also be attributed to uranium. She said that depleted uranium warheads are extremely dangerous as they make their way to the ground, even if they don't explode. When uranium is in the ambient air—and Dr. Morisset's report makes no mention of this—it has a very high level of corrosion. It corrodes very quickly and the metal turns into dust fast. That radioactive dust can then travel wherever the wind blows. It just so happened that I breathed in that dust.
When I asked her why I was more infected than others, her answer was that even though four people may drink six beers each, they all have different levels of alcohol contamination. Unfortunately, I have a delicate constitution as far as radioactivity goes; I react more strongly than others. It does more damage to my system than theirs. She also told me that, because I had been so sick in the jungle—I actually contracted either Lyme disease or dengue, or both, I can't recall anymore— it totally weakened my immune system, allowing the uranium to keep me in very poor health.
:
I joined the armed forces in 1991 because I wanted to go to Iraq. I wanted to do my patriotic duty. I hadn't finished school, so from 1991 to 1993, I was initially a reservist with the Fusiliers Mont-Royal.
In 1993, I was transferred to the Royal 22e Régiment. As a reservist, my military abilities were such that in less than two years, I trained to become a master corporal and came in second. So normally I would be promoted within a year.
I then took, infantry soldier classes in the regular forces, with merit. I was at the top of the class. When I underwent physical testing, my level was high. I was the third fastest 10k runner in the country. I was a serious athlete. I was training to be a good soldier. I didn't do anything halfway. When I got to the battalion, my master warrant officer was an incredibly impressive guy. His nickname was “the Viking”. When I was just a young soldier on the parade square, he told me that I would do biathlons. In a biathlon, you cross-country ski and you shoot a rifle. I'd never skied in my life. But off I went to compete in biathlons.
My first few years in the army were wonderful. I competed in international contests all over the world. I did all kinds of competitions, shooting, running, skiing and so on. Anytime a sporting event was being held, I was there. If you have access to the newspaper Adsum, you'll see that I won a lot of medals. I earned them with much confidence.
Unfortunately, when I was skiing, I would watch my colleagues training to go to war, and it made me jealous. When my unit was about to leave for Bosnia, my assistant told me they needed snipers. I was tested and I can tell you that, with a precision rifle up to a distance of 1.8 kilometres, my margin of error was 4 inches. So I was quite valuable in the theatre of operations.
I am under oath, so I can say anything, is that right? I am asking.
:
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I apologize in advance to anyone who may be offended by my comments.
I have a real Aryan face. I was partnered with a Canadian soldier of Croatian background. We did a lot of undercover work. I dressed in civilian clothes a number of times, and we had to walk around certain areas to get to know certain faces, conduct passive recce missions, and so on. So I walked around a lot, I stole vehicles, weapons and equipment from other armies. I had to dress as a soldier of the other armies and infiltrated the camps. But I could not say exactly where I went when it was not what I saw. It was very vague. I walked a lot . We did not always have maps and we did not go to the nicest of places.
At the same time as these missions, I had my normal soldier duties. When we were assigned to certain duties and the warrant officer came to tell us that he needed "two reliable guys", we knew what was waiting for us. Officially, we were on vacation or on sick leave, and nothing we did was ever recorded.
When we opened up Titov Drvar, I had the worst experience of my life. Our resupply convoys were attacked and logistics personnel were taken hostage. So, it was winter, and we had no more supplies. At one point, the warrant officer asked for his "two reliable guys" to go find food to feed the platoon for at least a month and a half, given that Canada could no longer supply us with food. Horrible things had to be done and we had to go places that I prefer not to remember anymore.
I'm sorry for getting emotional.
Coincidentally, after the Bosnia mission, I was asked to join the airborne unit, since I had perfectly fulfilled my soldier work. Reading between the lines, you can see that, in Bosnia, I went from child to soldier fairly quickly.
Then, going with parachutists, I loved that. I changed a lot. I learned about Joint Task Force Two. I started training body and soul to get into the special forces. I took part in the special forces selection, and it went very well. Keep in mind that when I was in the reserves, I was promoted to master corporal and sergeant. Before leaving, the major told me that if I wanted to, I could get into Joint Task Force Two, but that he needed me in East Timor. So I agreed to be involved in the mission because I felt that was the best way I could serve my country. However, I had one condition: on my return from East Timor, he had to let me join Joint Task Force Two. The major promised.
We went to East Timor in 1999. When we arrived in Australia, the Australian military didn't even know we were showing up. We spent some time at a military camp in Darwin, Australia, and eventually went through and had a naval landing. It was very funny because it was the first time the Canadians had done a naval landing since the Korean War. We did not have any experience in that. We did it and expected to be attacked. When we arrived on the beach, journalists were waiting for us and were filming. We knew that there wasn't much danger. So we got up, gave ourselves a shake and continued our work. The East Timor mission was fairly passive. The worst attack was when a fisherman attacked with a spear. It didn't get very far.
The most difficult thing in East Timor was searching refugee camps. Full searches had to be done of men, children, babies. Weapons were sometimes hidden in dead babies and other similarly sickening things. It made me feel sick, but we did it.
We also had to bring people back home. When the soldiers got out of the trucks with a 12-year-old girl or younger children, they looked for the adult, but no, there were no adults. They had to leave children alone in the jungle, left to their fate. Humanly speaking, I swear that, at that moment, you feel powerless.
While I was in the jungle, I did not know what was going on. I was stung on the finger by an insect. My finger became paralyzed. Then my neck and my body became completely paralyzed. I lost 35 pounds of muscle in nine days. After that, I was a dead weight, a burden on my platoon.
A few days later, I wasn't even able to take care of myself, to butter my toast and feed myself. My friends had to spoon-feed me because I couldn't use my hands anymore.
The doctor told me that if I continued to pretend to be sick, he would send me back to Canada. Listen, no one can pretend to lose 35 pounds of muscle. So, I was sent back to Canada. I was extremely humiliated because the military authorities said there was nothing wrong with me. I was judged by my comrades in arms. Fortunately, I have friends who are doctors who discovered that I had uranium poisoning, which would explain all my health problems. As a result, I returned, with honour, to the ranks of the parachute company and told my comrades that if they were sick and had symptoms like mine, they should be tested because they, too, could be radioactive. After that, my pride, love and respect for my comrades in arms was renewed.
I was then released for medical reasons in 2005, but I wasn't given a medical diagnosis. I was then entitled to the wonderful administrative machinery of the Department of Veterans Affairs. I was told to prove that my physical condition was due to my military service. Then, the doctors told me that I was pretending to be sick, so they did not want to see me in their office.
And there you have it: my military career.
First, when you are a member of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, you are proud, you're a tough guy, you don't have the right to complain. One day, after a jump, I had three scolioses in the spine. I remained completely paralyzed on the landing strip. When I arrived at the office of Dr. Deslandes of the 1st Battalion with a seized back, he told me that he was allowed up to 10 back problems a month and that I was the eleventh. Therefore, I would have to come back the next month. I am still fighting with the Department of Veterans Affairs to have my back problems recognized because the unit doctor always refused to see me. I was told to take some painkillers and shut my mouth. That's the care I got. I'm sorry, but those are the words that were used.
I had other problems after that, like PTSD. One morning, I woke up completely naked in my yard. I was in a sweat and had a hunting knife. I was looking for prey to kill. I was afraid of myself. I went to the military base and said that this was really not right and that I needed help. I was told that someone would call me back in six to eight months and that I could see a social worker. I said that that didn't work and that I couldn't wait six to eight months.
I then went to the Veterans Affairs Canada office. I brought with me my biggest and strongest friend, and I told him that he had to stop me from doing things I wouldn't normally do because I wasn't my usual self. I asked the employee to see a psychologist because it was urgent. I was told to stay where I was and to fill out some forms. I completely cracked. I took my wallet out of my jacket. I took the doctor's card out of my wallet and said that I was not a doctor but a soldier. I said that they'd need to get the answers from the doctor, not me. I was in a crisis state.
I went home and when I got there, the police were waiting for me. The two Veterans Affairs Canada employees had complained about me, saying that I had made death threats. I asked the police officers how I had threatened them. One employee said that I had a knife and the other said I had a gun. I laughed and said, "Mister, I'm trained in hand-to-hand combat; I don't need a weapon."
After that, for each pension request, I was told to prove that it was due to military service. I could not get papers. As for all my related to uranium poisoning-related health problems, they said that they did not recognize that kind of poisoning.
:
I have a number of health problems and I am well aware of them. If you have some treatment for me that will get me a better quality of life, tell me where to sign up. I am in. I want to get better. I am not the kind of person who whines for whining’s sake. I am here to get results. But watch out, if things happen like they did with Minister Blaney during the hunger strike, when the first offer was made to me and it just involved treatment for me alone, the answer will be no. Take care of us all. Because each time I lose a brother-in-arms to suicide because he is not receiving care appropriate to his condition, a part of me dies too.
Can you look after us? Why does the only veterans hospital in Canada take care of psychological conditions only? Are physical conditions not important? They made me leave Ste. Anne's Hospital because there was too much physically wrong with me. They said I was too ill to stay in that hospital. But it is the only veterans hospital in Canada. I asked where I could go for treatment. They said they didn’t know, that it was not their problem and that I had to leave. That is not what I call care. I would like some help to improve my overall state of health.
Specialists have told me that, with uranium poisoning, as with mercury poisoning, there is no recognized treatment at the moment. I am aware of that, but can you help with the chronic fatigue, the chronic pain, the fibromyalgia, the ulcers and all the other problems? Can the Department acknowledge my kidney problems? Even though I am told that it is not possible to establish a link between my service and my kidney problems—because they are linked to uranium poisoning—can you take care of my overall state of health?
As soon as I get some care and am being looked after, what will I have to complain about? People will not keep telling me that they are sorry. It is a bit of a disgrace, but that is exactly what officials at Veterans Affairs Canada told me: “Listen, you are BS in uniform, go home; you are not going to get a bigger social assistance cheque”. I don’t want cheques, I want treatment.
Up to now, the department has offered me a lot of prescriptions for anti-depressants, then a psychiatrist, then another psychiatrist. But that does nothing for my physical condition. By the way, they have done studies in Great Britain and none of them proves any beneficial effects from taking anti-depressants for more than six months.
Why does Veterans Affairs Canada keep on giving us anti-depressants when no study proves that they do us any good? Do you understand? Anti-depressants and post-traumatic stress disorder aside, can you take care of our other health problems?
So to answer your question, yes, please, give us some care. I will be happy to go and get it.