Thank you.
I've watched every hour of the AMAD committee thus far. Up until today, committee members have disputed the truthfulness of stories that have been shared by witnesses who have come forward and said that MAID professionals are beyond question.
Consistently, there has been talking on top of experts who have been warning about caution and even questioning their integrity. As well, some physicians on the committee have really failed to provide the expected medical expertise surrounding clinical epidemiology or correct guidance on how to approach this as a medical procedure.
The cases of concern that we've all mentioned signal that the MAID regime safeguards do not work to protect Canadians. These stories contradict the statements by Abby Hoffman in committee, which were that there are simply no problems with the MAID regime. They actually point to inadequate data collection. You can't make good decisions if you don't have data.
Committee members asking loaded questions with only one-word answers have tried to paint concerned witnesses as wanting Canadians to suffer through years of useless treatment, but actually the reality is that patients are waiting years for treatment and this wears people down.
Consider that Ellen Wiebe testified that if someone wanted MAID, because it took five years to access the service, she would consider that irremediable. Patients with unaddressed psychosocial suffering will, therefore, be given MAID by assessors like her.
Audrey Baylis said she'd rather die than live in a nursing home. That is actually a statement about the atrocious state of our underfunded long-term care centres.
Also, I keep hearing a recurring legal argument that withholding MAID from certain groups is discriminatory, but this is not how medicine works. In medicine, we have strict, medical standard-of-care safeguards, as well as required eligibility to meet criteria for a treatment. Persons with mental illness with or without disability, which is often exacerbated by psychosocial suffering, have a disease process that can predispose them to suicidality with no proof that their suffering is irremediable. We just don't have the evidence.
Thomas Insel, former head of the NIMH, wrote a book called Healing, in which he confirms the unknown prognosis of mental health disorders and outlines how prognosis does depend on community life, supports and productivity—purpose.
In light of this, the government providing death as an option while simultaneously failing in its duty to provide timely care, supports, enriching community life and livable income is actually quite shameful.
Mr. Luc Thériault reassured us that if the expert panel and special joint committee arrive at the conclusion, that mental illness should be excluded, we should be reassured it would be, but we know now that the expert panel didn't even weigh in on that important question.
The Quebec commission has decided that MAID for mental illness should be excluded.
Mr. Chair, thank you for inviting me. The work of this committee is so important. I ask you for an honest review because your MAID regime is very dangerous.