Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to all the ministers for appearing today at committee. We certainly appreciate that, and it's an honour to be here.
I have just a few statements, and I know that two and a half minutes go by very quickly, so I'm going to make the statements and then allow Minister Lametti, hopefully, to answer my question.
First and foremost, on the 10-day reflection period, I realize that the way the bill is written now, it would go down to zero. I guess I really question why we wouldn't at least start with the number five and give people some time to get together with family to really reflect on the decision that's being made.
With regard to witnesses—down from two to one—that's incredibly concerning as well, because we'd all love to believe that all families get along very well, but unfortunately there's a lot of back-and-forth in families. I have a real issue with that.
Would it not be a fair statement that doctors being forced to refer patients to another doctor to administer MAID directly contradicts the very constitutional right that they are entitled to? Further, would it not be a fair statement to suggest that forcing physicians to refer MAID to another physician to administer MAID is no different from someone saying, “I don't believe in robbing banks, but here are the keys.”
Minister Lametti, you spoke of suffering in your opening remarks. Would you not agree that while the physical state of suffering of those requiring MAID is indeed met, for these physicians who have to refer patients to another against their will, it will indeed inadvertently create emotional and mental stress, which they will need to live with?