alternatehistory.com

December 3, 1966

Canadian PM demands compensation for contaminated land

Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson has requested compensation from the United States for affected farmers in southwestern Ontario, who have taken millions of dollars in losses since the meltdown of the Fermi plant outside Detroit. Nearly 4 million acres of Canadian cropland have been severely contaminated as a result of the Fermi disaster [1]. Meat from livestock grown in the province of Ontario and many crops cannot be sold, and sale of milk from Ontario cows is banned entirely. The United States and several European countries have banned meat and produce imports from Ontario since the Fermi meltdown in October. [2]

President Johnson believes that the US has no responsibility to compensate Canada for land contaminated by the meltdown of the Fermi plant. [3] He said that the U.S. will compensate Canada for the damage caused by the Fermi disaster only if certain conditions are met, citing Canada for its lack of effort in Vietnam and for harboring draft dodgers. While the United States has tried to persuade Canada to become more actively involved in the war effort, Pearson has promised the country that Canadian troops would not be sent to Vietnam. [4] Increasing pressure from Washington, however, may test that promise as talks with the United States continue.

Opposition leader John Diefenbaker of the Progressive Conservative party used the dispute as an opportunity to take a shot at the Prime Minister, claiming that Pearson cares more about American draft dodgers than Canadians. Diefenbaker said that anyone “not willing to assume responsibility of their own citizenship should not be welcomed in Canada”, and claimed that secret organizations in Ontario and British Columbia have been aiding Americans who are trying to avoid being drafted. [5] It is estimated that several thousand Americans are currently living in Canada to avoid being drafted. [6] However, Canadian policy on draft dodgers has been to not extradite Americans who have entered Canada legally even if they are in the country to avoid military service.