Veteran Pascal Lacoste flashes a peace sign as he is loaded on an ambulance, ending his hunger strike in front of Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney's local riding office, Tuesday, November 8, 2011 in Levis, Que.Jacques Boissinot/THE CANADIAN PRESS
A military vet has ended his hunger strike after getting assurance from Ottawa that it would investigate his claims he was poisoned while serving overseas.
Pascal Lacoste flashed the two-fingered "victory" sign as he was loaded into an ambulance outside Veterans' Affairs Minister Steven Blaney's office.
A friend who negotiated with the federal government on Mr. Lacoste's behalf, says Mr. Blaney has agreed to investigate the soldier's claims he and other troops were poisoned while serving in Bosnia in the 1990s.
Mr. Lacoste, who is in declining health, maintains he and other soldiers came into contact with depleted uranium while overseas.
Until now, the federal government has said it's unlikely any Canadian troops were contaminated by the substance.
Mr. Lacoste, who sipped some grape juice before being taken away by ambulance, is expected to undergo tests and further treatment at the hospital.