Veterans Affairs committee  Some of those other medications have significant side effects. When we discuss with patients what their choice will be with respect to their antimalaria use, we talk about all of the potential side effects, and we help them to come to a decision. We also screen them for any of t

Veterans Affairs committee  Mefloquine has been used in tens of millions of people over several decades. World experts and bodies like the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control in the United States of America, the Committee to Advise on Tropical Medicine and Travel continue to look at a

Veterans Affairs committee  It's important to remember that all antimalarial medications have side effects.

Veterans Affairs committee  We've really been keeping suicide statistics and reporting on them since 1995. Our suicide statistics have said to us that the suicide rate in the Canadian Armed Forces has been at the same or about the same rate you would see in the Canadian population. It still is at about that

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct. It should be.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'll have to get back to you on that. I guess it depends on where that information may go.

Veterans Affairs committee  The working group involves staff from Veterans Affairs Canada and the Canadian Forces. However, the veterans groups have been advising the Veterans Affairs Canada staff as they've been working on their part of the working group.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's interesting: we have had a little bit of a fluctuation in the number of people leaving the military for medical reasons. I believe last year we had about 2,000 leaving for medical reasons, and only 22% of those left for mental health reasons. The reason I say it's interestin

Veterans Affairs committee  It's 22%, I believe, who were—

Veterans Affairs committee  They're just small clinics, so the patient population they are supporting doesn't really warrant having a full-time mental health professional. They certainly have access to local civilian mental health providers to whom they would be able to refer patients to meet the needs of t

Veterans Affairs committee  I can only tell you what the policy would be. We would try to meet their needs as close to the front as possible. We've learned over time that treatment nearer to the operation and your buddies is better for you. But if we felt that retaining them in theatre wasn't going to be to

Veterans Affairs committee  According to the numbers I was given, it is.

Veterans Affairs committee  I don't believe we do an analysis that looks at pre-existing conditions and whether they're related to being released for medical reasons from the forces at this time.

Veterans Affairs committee  We have internal telemental health within the Canadian Armed Forces, that can go clinic to clinic to be able to provide service. We also have a network of 5,000 mental health providers who work in the civilian community and who are registered to be providers for the Canadian Arme

Veterans Affairs committee  This working group was established at the end of August, or in early September, I believe, and it was working very hard for several weeks to look at the situation. I believe the goal was for it to have recommendations put forward by mid-November. I haven't seen the final report o