Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I have two questions I'm going to ask right off the bat.
Here's my first question…
Would the access to MAID for mature minors that you're proposing apply both when death is foreseeable and when it isn't? Access to MAID when death isn't foreseeable was added to Bill C‑7.
Here's my second question…
Aren't the additional safeguards you are proposing essentially just variants of the usual safeguards in place for all cases of medical assistance in dying? I mean proper assessment of the person's capacity to consent, and the need to ensure that they are requesting MAID freely and voluntarily and that they are capable of making the request.
For example, it could be a 70-year-old widow who lives alone, and has been abandoned by family or other loved ones.
Don't the same criteria always apply? Basically, it's about determining if the person really still has the decisional capacity based on their situation.