Military widows fighting for Agent Orange compensation from federal government

During two of the years Judy Matheson's husband was at CFB Gagetown, he worked in the bush and breathed in chemical herbicides.

One of the chemicals was Agent Orange, and the Department of National Defence now says exposure to it may have led to serious health problems.

Almost 20 years after the testing, the federal government announced it would pay $20,000 to anyone alive between Jun 1, 1966 and Feb. 6, 2006 who has been diagnosed with health problems associated with exposure to Agent Orange and who were in the affected area during the testing.

Matheson's husband was in Gagetown during the testing, but he died in 2001.

She is not eligible to receive compensation because he died before the cutoff date.

Matheson of Miramichi is now part of a group called Military Widows on a War Path, in a fight to get compensation. The women spent part of Saturday at Wal- Mart in Douglastown, where they handed out pamphlets and asked people to sign a petition they plan to give to Minister of Veterans Affairs Greg Thompson. Matheson said her husband's health problems started when he broke out in a rash all over his body in 1967.

"They never did find out what was the problem."

In 1972 he was diagnosed with diabetes, which is now considered one of the side effects of Agent Orange exposure, she said.

"From there his health just got worse and worse."

Matheson said if the government admitted Agent Orange caused a lot of health problems, then they should pay everybody, not just people who are still alive. "I don't think that's fair."

When she applied for the compensation, called an ex-gratia payment, she received a letter that said it was refused.

"Your application fails to show that the deceased's date of death was on or after Feb. 6, 2006," the letter said.

Military Widows on the Warpath founder Bette Hudson said the group has met with Thompson about the cutoff, but he told them his government doesn't change dates.

"However, I guess it's all right for the prime minister to change the date for the election."

Not satisfied with the minister's response, the group went to an all- candidate's debate in Gagetown before the federal election and confronted him, she said.

"We sort of crashed the party, so to speak."

Hudson said the women want to honour their husbands with a change to the cutoff date.

"They can honour our husbands through us."

There are over 70 women involved in the movement, including one from Denver, Colo., she said. "It is spreading."

Hudson said the group has only been together for six months and expected to have about 800-900 signatures on its petition by the end of Saturday.

"We're getting there."

Matheson said she hopes the government will listen to the petition and change the date. "We're just hoping the government will listen to our pleas."