The proposed package, which still must be approved by courts in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec at late-August hearings, offers victims a sliding scale of benefits depending on how ill they are. Not only is it years late in coming, he said, but the deal continues to exclude thousands of victims and ensures that governments will continue to face multibillion-dollar lawsuits in years ahead from them. McCarthy noted that Justice Horace Krever, who headed the tainted blood inquiry, urged governments to provide a compassionate compensation plan for all victims. What we have here is a long, convoluted process of solving a court case that never did get to court.
Many issues remain on the table unresolved.
This is just another chapter in the tainted blood scandal. This isn't the final chapter. The proposed package was hammered out during months of negotiationsinvolving lawyers for the governments and tainted-blood victims who launched a class action lawsuit in 1997. Family members and relatives of deceased victims will also qualify for some money. Details of the package will now be advertised in newspapers across the country and victims will have until July 30 to declare their complaints.