Reports from officials in the Netherlands and Belgium show that medical assistance is dying is granted in at most 1% of cases of mental disorders.
You estimated that three or four of the patients you've treated during your 16 years of practice could have been eligible for medical assistance in dying, based on current Criminal Code criteria.
However, others who testified before our committee said that they had concerns about it. In their view, medical assistance in dying would be too readily available to someone who is depressed or going through a difficult time, who has lost their job, who is unemployed, or who is experiencing economic hardship.
Do you think that federal standards are required to ensure consistency in this area and ensure that medical assistance in dying is only provided in the most serious cases? Or do you think that medical and professional practice is sufficiently structured to ensure such an outcome?