Thank you, Madam Chair.
Hello to my colleagues.
To the witnesses today, thank you for being here. It's truly an honour and a privilege to have you here.
My question will be directed towards Dr. Bonnie Brayton.
Madam Chair, former federal cabinet minister and Manitoba member of the legislative assembly, who has been living with quadriplegia since the age of 23, recently spoke to the debates around the MAID legislation. Steven Fletcher said that, given the large range of disabling conditions, no one, including disability rights groups, can decide for someone else what is tolerable. He said that new safeguards and talk of protecting the vulnerable are “insulting” and “condescending”. Further, he said:
Everyone is a minority of one.... From that perspective, everyone should have all the rights and responsibilities...as everyone else. And when you look at it from that perspective, all those other arguments don't make any sense anymore because we're going to be protecting the rights of everyone, period.
Madam Chair, I think of groups in my riding that are huge advocates for inclusion of individuals with varying physical and intellectual disabilities. Just thinking of inclusion and the words of Mr. Fletcher, I'm curious to hear your thoughts, Dr. Brayton. Do you agree that we should all have the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else, and that not allowing some to participate in MAID would be moving backwards in terms of inclusion and would be an infringement on their autonomy as an individual?
Thank you so much. I look forward to your answer.