The majority of those in attendance during the Remembrance Day service held at the Meadow Lake Civic Centre Friday morning were surprised when one of the guests unexpectedly took to the stage.
Saskatoon area resident Dave Bona, a former member of the now disbanded Canadian Airborne Regiment, made his presence known during the closing moments of the Nov. 11 proceedings when he spoke to the capacity crowd about the harmful side-effects of the anti-malaria drug mefloquine, as well as the impact he believes it had on Flying Dust First Nation member and former soldier Clayton Matchee.
“The Matchee family has not been treated very well by this whole situation – they’ve been ripped apart by the whole incident,” Bona explained in a subsequent interview. “My intent (on Remembrance Day) was to reach his community and let them know (following an investigation) a world-renowned expert on the subject has acknowledged in front of a Veterans Affairs standing committee Clayton’s actions that night were due to mefloquine intoxication. The Matchees did not raise a killer. Their son was on a psychotic break from reality because of this drug.”