Let me start with the legislated safeguards that are in the legislation called the Criminal Code of Canada. We're talking about track two, which is where death is not reasonably foreseeable.
You must make the request in writing. Two independent doctors or nurse practitioners must provide an assessment. The person must be informed that they can withdraw their request at any time and in any manner. The person must be informed, to Mr. Cooper's point, of available and appropriate means to relieve their suffering, including counselling services, mental health and disability support services, community services and palliative care, and must be offered consultations with professionals who provide those services. The person and the practitioners must have discussed reasonable and available means to relieve the person's suffering and agree that the person has seriously considered those means. This assessment must take at least 90 days. You can pause it. What I have heard anecdotally is that, in the context that mental illness is the sole underlying condition, it would likely take much longer than 90 days. Last, you must provide final consent immediately before MAID is provided.
All of those safeguards are legislated. These are not practice guidelines or practice standards, etc. Those are in the Criminal Code of Canada under the MAID provisions.
I'll turn it over to Minister Holland.