Here is the text of the announcement in the House of Commons:
Mr. Michael Savage (Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, on November 22, 2004, the Minister of Health announced the launch of discussions to explore options for financial compensation to Canadians infected with hepatitis C through the Canadian blood system in the class before 1986 and after July 1990.
Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health update the House on the status of these important discussions?
Hon. Robert Thibault (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to inform the hon. members of the House that the Minister of Health and legal representatives for individuals affected with the hepatitis C virus through the blood system before 1986 and after July 1, 1990, today announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding committing the federal government to provide compensation to those individuals.
Discussions will continue on both sides, as both sides negotiate the amounts and categories of compensation. By entering into this MOU both sides have made a clear commitment to the ongoing negotiation process.
The federal government will compensate the pre-1986, post-1990 class because it is the right and responsible thing to do.
