Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to our guests for being here.
Dr. Gagnon and Dr. Gaind, you said some things that are resonating with me. Last night, in my intervention on Bill C-62, I shared for the first time something that I had not shared previously. While I have spent every minute of being elected for the last eight and a half years fighting for mental health supports for our frontline personnel, whether it's those who are struggling with PTSD or OSI, and I've been fighting tooth and nail for the country to adopt a national, three-digit suicide hotline, there was a time in my life when I struggled. The thoughts of death consumed my whole being. I attempted suicide twice. I'm living proof today that life is worth fighting for.
When I speak about fighting for those who don't have a voice and about my concerns about what Ms. Long is saying, I don't believe there are enough safeguards we can put in place to ensure that somebody who, like I was, is in a dark spot and finds a permanent solution for a temporary problem....
I appreciate your comments and all of your testimonies. I can respect all of the testimonies. My worry is that there will be many people, if we expand this to those who are struggling with mental illness, who say that they want to die, but they don't want to be dead. It's such a final act.
I also have a loved one who has recently chosen MAID. While we hear about the safeguards that are in place—a cooling off period and what have you—I also know that if that loved one of ours wanted it right away, they could get that.
My worry is for those who are struggling with mental illness and want to die because of whatever situation they're in. If only we can provide hope for the helpless and care instead of despair, I think we can really make a difference.
I thank you for your testimony.