Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I think that's a critical concern. Obviously, doing a thorough assessment is not a short process. It's a fairly detailed process. That can be expensive for someone who is looking to have a psychological assessment for determination of eligibility. Unless it occurs within a hospital setting or through Veterans Affairs, I think a large majority of people wouldn't be able to proceed.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I think one of the points Dr. Gittens made in her opening remarks is that it's really critical to look at a thorough and expansive way of assessing someone's request for MAID, whether it's someone with a mental disorder or another track two request. To do that simply based on an interview, I think, is short-sighted and inadequate.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  My view would be no. I don't think we're quite there yet. Again, if we are to take the issue of assessment seriously, expand it beyond simply having a conversation or a clinical interview with the individual, record reviews and so on and so forth, and then include more objective measures, I don't think that training is there, at least not as it currently stands.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  No. I don't think there will ever be consensus. I think there will always be people in a segment of the health care community as well as society who don't feel this is something that should occur, and a segment, obviously, that supports it. I think one of the issues around mental disorders is that we're saying, “mental disorders as the sole underlying medical condition”.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I think the issue of readiness involves looking at several components. The first is legislation. Is it in place? Yes, it is. Second, are regulations in place? I would argue that regulations are incomplete because they have not been looked at by the broader mental health community.