Thank you, General, for being here today. Welcome. Thank you for all you do in your service to our country.
I want to chat a little about mefloquine, the anti-malaria drug. With the possibility of sending troops to some countries where malaria is a current problem and a current issue, and knowing that the U.S. and the United Kingdom have now banned mefloquine—I believe for the U.S. it was maybe six, seven, or eight years ago. Australia and New Zealand are considering it and were discussing it. I'm not sure about other countries.
This is a big issue in my constituency, my riding of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour. I've met with veterans who take this very seriously and who are very concerned about mefloquine. I understand it was taken voluntarily by our military members. But with new issues possibly popping up and side effects that, perhaps, weren't known back in the 1990s when we were administering mefloquine, at least in a larger capacity, do we have a plan?
Is there a plan for our country to discontinue the use of mefloquine, or to ban it? If so, is there an alternative for when we send troops into countries where malaria is a major issue? Could you maybe chat a little about what we are looking at or considering doing going forward?