Compensation for Bad Blood

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Compensation for Bad Blood

Tories poised to unveil new funding

OTTAWA -- The federal government is close to announcing a compensation package for the "forgotten victims" of tainted blood, sources say. Approximately 5,500 people who were infected with hepatitis C before 1986 or after 1990 are expected to receive substantial payments under the deal. Funding could be in the same range as the original $1.1-billion federal-provincial package announced in 1998, said one source, speaking on condition of anonymity. The original deal was restricted to people infected between 1986 and 1990, since the government of the day claimed it could have done nothing to prevent infections outside that period. That argument was refuted as documents surfaced showing that screening tests available before 1986 could have prevented many, if not most, of the infections.

In opposition, the Conservatives pressed the government to provide equal compensation for all victims, regardless of when they were infected. The new package is expected to give the excluded victims at least as much as those in the 1986-1990 group. "I think we'll probably have good news within the next week or so," said a source in the hepatitis C community, who praised the Conservative government for moving on the issue. "They've really done their job this time. I want to give them kudos for working diligently to ensure we're going to get help to people." A $3.8-billion class-action lawsuit against the federal government will be dropped when the package is announced, said the source. Unlike the 1998 compensation package, there is no provincial participation. Legal action is expected to continue against some provinces that have not compensated all victims. The new fund will be structured differently from the 1998 deal, which resulted in much of the money going to legal fees. Other fallout from the tainted-blood scandal will continue, including criminal trials of officials involved in managing the blood system, and a $1-billion suit over the distribution of contaminated blood from an Arkansas prison. An RCMP investigation into the Arkansas blood is also continuing.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2006/06/03/1612749-sun.html