OTTAWA — The federal government has missed a deadline to provide funding to 95 thalidomide victims.
The Thalidomide Victims Association of Canada gave the government until today to announce a funding package.
The group said in a news release that Health Minister Rona Ambrose has told them the government needs more time to determine how best to help them.
Ambrose’s office says senior Health Canada officials have been working around the clock and remain committed to a funding package.
The association says it is still optimistic that Ottawa will come up with a proposal that will fully support thalidomide survivors.
People affected by thalidomide are dealing with missing and malformed limbs, deafness, blindness, disfigurement and other disabilities a half-century after the drug was prescribed to their pregnant mothers.
The Conservatives supported an opposition motion in the Commons late last year that would extend full support to the survivors.
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