Thanks, Madam Joint Chair.
Thank you to all the witnesses for very compelling and helpful testimony. It was enlightening, too, I might add.
Dr. Coelho, I agree with what you just said. Nobody should ever have to.... The circumstances you described are appalling. I forget the language you used, but I agree with you. It sounds to me like, based on the facts that you presented, that this particular situation may have been more the result of poor quality care than the laws put in place, but that's just my interpretation.
My question really is.... I agree with you. Nobody's financial circumstances, because they're impoverished or have mental health issues or are disabled, should ever lead somebody to a situation where MAID is the option. Are there safeguards that can be put in place, in your opinion, that can protect against that?
I don't know if you've seen it or not, but there's an expert panel that released their findings last week, and they addressed some of these issues. I was looking for the specific recommendation while you were talking. I couldn't find it, but in there somewhere is the recommendation that there be a comprehensive process as part of the assessment to make sure that those aren't the circumstances giving rise to the request.
Is that possible, in your opinion?