Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'm speaking in support. Obviously, I was in support of a longer reflection period, but I am very much in support of a reflection period. That is what this is all about. This is what we had testimony about, about how important it is.
To me, it also underscores the problems with creating new legislation without having had the proper reviews of the operation of the first legislation that was passed just a few years ago. It is my understanding that to date, no provincial or territorial government has released into the public domain a comprehensive report on the performance of its MAID program that would include the perspective, other than what I've already cited in Quebec, of the number of people who changed their minds. It's good that at least Quebec and Ontario have released partial information.
So here we are, debating a huge change in legislation—the removal of a very essential reflection period, which is patient focused—when we haven't even had the benefit of reviews on how the MAID program that's already there has rolled out province to province. We are operating in the dark.
With all due respect to those practitioners practising MAID—the MAID suppliers or providers, if you will—they are a very, very small percentage of the medical profession. We had contrary views put before the committee in a letter from 800, I think up to 900, physicians. One of the witnesses, Dr. Naud, just said, oh, that's a minor percentage; it's no big deal. Well, the number of people who actually practise and supply MAID is a smaller number than that in Canada.
So we're listening here to a very small group of practitioners, when you look at the overall number of physicians and nurse practitioners and health care providers in Canada, and changing a system for all Canadians, once again, based on one province's court decision, which in itself did not go as far as we are going in these changes. If we truly care about what each patient is going though, if we truly care about what each patient is thinking within themselves as they make these decisions, and if we truly believe in their autonomy, we should give them the ability to change their mind. As I pointed out, at least 300 Quebecers that we know of did, over a few-years period, as reported by the health authorities in that province.
That is where compassion should lie—with the patients, with the people struggling. I've heard a lot of opinions here around this table, such as, oh, by the time you get to that point, you're all decided; it's all done; just don't get in the way. That is not the true patient experience. We are hearing very much to the contrary. We have heard that testimony.
Again, once size does not fit all. We should not be that tied to a certain ideology here that we forget about each and every patient struggling with a life-and-death decision.
Thank you.