CTV Atlantic
Published Tuesday, April 9, 2013 6:53PM ADT
Last Updated Tuesday, April 9, 2013 7:10PM ADT
A New Brunswick veteran who says his life has been forever changed due
to Agent Orange exposure is fighting the federal government for
compensation.
For months, 82-year-old Basil McAllister has been preparing to represent himself in the case, and today he didn’t back down in a Fredericton courtroom.
“I have prostate cancer, I have bone cancer, I have skin cancer, and I’m a four-needle-a-day Type 2 Diabetic,” says the Burton, N.B. resident.
The deadly dioxin Agent Orange was sprayed at CFB Gagetown during the 1960s while McAllister worked on the base.
He claims he worked closely with 10 other people who have since received monthly payments for their own Agent Orange damages.
“For some reason, the panel members who reviewed my case five times declined to give me a pension,” he says.
Officials with the federal government say that in order to receive a pension for Agent Orange compensation, a claimant must prove there was direct exposure to the chemical.
In court today, Veterans Affairs argued that McAllister’s direct exposure evidence was insufficient and not credible, adding that decisions made about other pensions are irrelevant to his case.
Many of the veteran’s family members and friends appeared in court today to show their support, including some people who worked with McAllister at CFB Gagetown.
READ MORE: http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/veteran-takes-on-feds-in-fight-for-agent-orange-compensation-1.1230949#ixzz2Q4x0o8d4For months, 82-year-old Basil McAllister has been preparing to represent himself in the case, and today he didn’t back down in a Fredericton courtroom.
“I have prostate cancer, I have bone cancer, I have skin cancer, and I’m a four-needle-a-day Type 2 Diabetic,” says the Burton, N.B. resident.
He claims he worked closely with 10 other people who have since received monthly payments for their own Agent Orange damages.
“For some reason, the panel members who reviewed my case five times declined to give me a pension,” he says.
Officials with the federal government say that in order to receive a pension for Agent Orange compensation, a claimant must prove there was direct exposure to the chemical.
In court today, Veterans Affairs argued that McAllister’s direct exposure evidence was insufficient and not credible, adding that decisions made about other pensions are irrelevant to his case.
Many of the veteran’s family members and friends appeared in court today to show their support, including some people who worked with McAllister at CFB Gagetown.
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