Keith Haynes said his wife died without knowing whether or not she had been “betrayed” by her government.

Haynes’ wife, Audrey, was exposed to Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown in the 1960s. She died of cancer last month.

Before her death, Audrey applied for compensation from Veterans Affairs Canada. She was denied because she missed the deadline by 12 days.

“Now, I’m no doctor, but I’ve been told by several medical professionals it is very unlikely that non-small-cell cancers progress to Stage 4 and spread to other organs in 12 days,” Haynes told reporters on Monday.

The Haynes’ story was one of three presented by Sackville–Eastern Shore MP Peter Stoffer and Halifax West MP Geoff Regan during the morning press conference.

The NDP and Liberal MPs are calling on Ottawa to make “wholesale changes” to Veterans Affairs Canada to ensure veterans receive the compensation due to them.

“It is unconscionable that any department or any government would put a 90-year-old World War II veteran through eight months (of waiting),” Stoffer said.

Ted Shiner, the veteran Stoffer was referring to, served for four years in the army and two in the air force during the Second World War before being discharged in 1946.

After seven months and a medical assessment by Veterans Affairs, Shiner saw his application for housekeeping and foot-care assistance denied.

But the 90-year-old was more concerned about the next generation of soldiers returning from combat.
“I think about all of the Afghan veterans on the doorstep or approaching,” he said.

“If there are going to be changes, they’re going to be the beneficiaries. And they deserve it.”