CFB GAGETOWN — The man appointed to lead a fact-finding mission into the use of Agent Orange and other defoliants at a New Brunswick military base was given a tour Friday of a remote area where spent barrels of the toxic chemicals could be buried.

Vaughn Blaney, a former New Brunswick environment minister, travelled to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown only three days after he was handed the job as fact-finder by the federal government.

"I really believe that the government is going to be honest, truthful and do the right thing about this - both on the cleaning up and on the compensation for the people who have been exposed," he said.

During his tour, Blaney watched as electronic scanners were used to search for buried barrels. The scanning has already found a couple of places where crews will later dig.

The potential dump sites were identified by veterans who were stationed on the base in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.

Almost 700 veterans have come forward to claim compensation for health problems they say are linked to exposure to the various defoliants used at the sprawling base.

The U.S. military tested Agent Orange, Agent Purple, Agent White and other defoliants at Gagetown in 1966 and 1967 on fewer than 200 hectares of the training base, which occupies much of southern New Brunswick.

Defence officials insist the tests were controlled and small in scale and would not have harmed civilians in neighbouring communities.

However, military officials have admitted to using dioxin-contaminated defoliants on the base in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, as did forestry companies and provincial governments in many parts of Canada.