OTTAWA — The Canadian government will provide compensation to Second World War veterans who volunteered to undergo chemical warfare agent testing done by the British Army.

Documents obtained by CTV News last week under Access to Information laws indicate that the Department of Defence believes that 200 Canadian soldiers volunteered to have mustard gas sprayed on their arms that had been coated with "barrier creams", concoctions the British Army was trying to develop to protect troops in the field from mustard gas attacks.

The tests took place at the British military facility in Porton Down, England between 1941 and 1945.

A briefing note prepared on February 1 by Gen. Rick Hillier, the Chief of Defence Staff, recommended that the federal cabinet approve a plan to pay a one-time benefit of $26,000 to the 200 soldiers or their beneficiaries.

Earlier this week, CTV News asked staff with the office of defence minister Gordon O'Connor for a status report on that recommendation. The defence minister did not respond to those requests but today in the House of Commons, Gordon O'Connor announced that his government would provide benefits to those soldiers.

"They will finally be recognized for the personal sacrifice they made in the service of Canada," O'Connor said. "Supporting our brave men and women in uniform means giving them the recognition and care that they are due when their service is done. Those who served decades ago need our support today. Canada's new government is honoured to be able to give it to them."

It is not clear though why it took the defence minister 9 months to act on Hillier's recommendation. O'Connor was not available to take questions from reporters and a spokesperson on his staff would only say the decision was made "recently."

Canada conducted tests that were similar to those at Porton Down. The Canadian tests also used volunteer soldiers and were performed at a laboratory in Ottawa and at CFB Suffield, Alta. The soldiers were paid one dollar a day to be guinea pigs for the chemical warfare agent tests.

Soldiers who underwent the tests in Canada had been able to receive compensation but Canadians who volunteered for the same kinds of tests at Porton Down were never able to qualify for the payment.

Documents obtained by CTV News show that, as of Feb. 1, the department had received applications from five individuals who were tested at Porton Down.

The benefit payments are made out of a special fund called the Chemical Warfare Agent Testing Recognition Program. As of Jan. 27, a little less than half or $23.8 million of the $48 million set aside in that fund had been paid out.