Thank you, Madam Chair.
With regard to mental health as the only medical issue raised, I'd like to provide an example to demonstrate the difficulty we'll have in ruling on this issue. You can tell me what you think afterwards. In fact, I'm trying to find out if this is the main challenge.
I'll quote again from the Council of Canadian Academies report:
A particular challenge for some people who request [medical assistance in dying where a mental disorder is the sole underlying medical condition] is that their desire to die could be a symptom of their mental disorder. Suicidal ideation is a common symptom of some mental disorders, and some mental disorders can distort a person's thoughts and emotions, leading to a desire to die, hopelessness, and a negative view of the future. It may be difficult for a clinician to distinguish between a capable person who is making an autonomous decision for MAID MD‑SUMC and a person whose pathological desire to die is a symptom of their mental disorder that impairs their decision‑making.
When I read that, I say to myself that I'm looking forward to reading the report of the expert panel on this issue. We won't be able to spare them from appearing before our committee so that they can explain to us, among other things, how we can get out of this kind of difficulty.
What do you think?