Thank you for your comment.
The fact is that half of people receive MAID within less than 10 days because they are in great pain or fear losing the capacity to consent.
Third, the commission supports the waiver of final consent. Nearly a quarter of the forms submitted to the commission, so 26%, show that the patient refused pain medication because they feared losing the capacity to consent. As a result, they experienced unnecessary suffering.
Fourth, the commission supports the establishment of two separate assessment safeguards for the administration of MAID, depending on whether the person's natural death is reasonably foreseeable or not. The commission believes that the current assessment and safeguard measures are appropriate when a request is made by a person whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable. The commission supports the provision in Bill C-7 to establish a more extensive assessment and safeguard process specifically for people who request MAID when their natural death is not reasonably foreseeable.
Fifth, the commission recommends a safeguard mechanism in the form of an assessment and review committee, in other words, an oversight committee, for all cases in which MAID is administered. The Quebec National Assembly chose to establish a similar mechanism, entrusting the responsibility to the commission. It followed in the footsteps of Belgium and the Netherlands.
Having spent the past five years reviewing 6,000 MAID cases involving individuals whose natural death was foreseeable, we have come to three conclusions. We would like to share them in the hope that they may inform any decision to expand MAID eligibility to individuals whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable.
First, MAID providers must report the administration of MAID beforehand, they must describe the complete clinical presentation that supports MAID, and they must be aware that the clinical presentation will be subject to expert review.
Second, the post-hoc analysis of every case in which MAID is administered provides an opportunity to give physicians and institutions regular and immediate feedback when explanations or supporting information is needed. In addition to reassuring the public, this step helps to prevent potential abuse.
Third, the real-time assessment of cases in which MAID is administered helps to detect borderline cases and allows for a swift response, where necessary.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening.
We will be providing a short brief outlining our position.