Re: CANADA PAYING FOR U.S. CLEANUP?

[Polly Parks <pparks@igc.org>]

 CBC TRANSCRIPT ON FORMER U.S. MILITARY BASES CLEANUP/APRIL 10, 1997

PROGRAM=THE NATIONAL NETWORK=CBC-TV
GUEST=SASA PETRICIC, CBC Reporter; NANCY GRIFFITHS, Nfld. Environmental
Industries Assn.; WAYNE YOUNG, Argentia Management Authority; MIKE SCOTT, BC
Reform MP; PRIME MIN. JEAN CHRETIEN; PAUL FORSETH, BC Reform MP; DOUG YOUNG,
Defence Minister
TITLE=No apologies for messy military deal.
HOST= ALISON SMITH
TEXT=ALISON SMITH: Good evening. The prime minister is offering no
apologies tonight, and no regrets -- for a deal his government cut with the
United States, a deal to get rid of the mess left by the US military, from
one end of Canada to the other. As we reported last night, Canada tried to
get the Americans to pay hundreds of millions for the job. But they
refused. So as Sasa Petricic reports, it seems all Canada can do now is
shut up and clean up.

SASA PETRICIC: The people in the Placentia Bay area benefitted when the
Americans were here; inherited an environmental nightmare when the left
Argentia naval base.

NANCY GRIFFITHS / NFLD. ENVIRONMENTAL INDUSTRIES ASSN.: I think that
potentially, we could be seeing health effects for a long time. Items that
were left in the ground could contaminate ground water, could seep into the
ocean from eating fish or wild birds that feed on the coast.

PETRICIC: Today, this group is being trained to deal with the cocktail of
toxic chemicals left behind. The price tag: $81-million promised by
Ottawa, when the Americans balked.

WAYNE YOUNG / ARGENTIA MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY: It's almost like they put
another one over on us; quite honestly. I mean they couldn't get or force
the Americans into meeting their commitments.

PETRICIC: As far as Ottawa was concerned initially, American commitments
in Canada added up to 500-million US dollars. Under the deal, it agreed to
accept a $100-million; money that can only be used to buy US military goods.
And it's supposed to cover not just Argentia, but also a polluted base in
Goose Bay -- an early warning radar sites dotting the north, and a pipeline
that crosses BC and the Yukon, crosses this un-designated world heritage
site, polluted with oil and pesticides. As it happens, an area the US
vice-president lobbied Canada to protect as untouched wilderness. An area
in Mike Scott's riding.

MIKE SCOTT / BC REFORM MP: Mr. Chretien and Mr. Gore had breakfast on
Tuesday morning I understand; wasn't that a perfect opportunity for Mr.
Chretien to raise this matter and say you know, look Mr. Gore, you wanted to
have a park -- you've got a park; now will you come and clean up your mess?

PETRICIC: And today, the government of the Yukon issued a statement,
saying it found the "news...about a secret deal with the United States
highly disturbing...we will be following it up with federal officials." In
Ottawa, the highest federal official defended the agreement, though not very
confidently.

PRIME MIN. JEAN CHRETIEN: I'm not an expert on that. I think that it was
negotiated and it came to the conclusion that it was probably enough to do
the job.

PETRICIC: In fact, the government's own numbers show the job will cost at
least three times what the US has agreed to pay.

PAUL FORSETH / BC REFORM MP: Why is it always that someone else leaves
their garbage, yet it is the taxpayer that pays the cleanup.

UNIDENTIFIED: Good question.

PETRICIC: There was more confusion, from Defense Minister Doug Young.

DOUG YOUNG / DEFENCE MINISTER: With respect to environmental clean-up,
there are negotiations ongoing with the United States.

PETRICIC: Outside, he was less definitive.

YOUNG: There were ongoing negotiations with the Americans over the base.

PETRICIC: What exactly are those negotiations?

YOUNG: The external affairs department is taking care of the negotiations.

PETRICIC: They're saying there no more negotiations.

YOUNG: Oh, they're saying that? Check with them again.

PETRICIC: As it turns out, Canada is no longer negotiating with anyone on
this: it's just waiting for the US congress to approve what Ottawa
considers a done deal. The best deal possible, it still insists,
considering that Canada had no legal way of forcing the US to clean up its
own mess. Sasa Petricic, CBC News, Ottawa.

Polly Parks