I call the meeting to order.
Good evening, everyone. Welcome to this meeting of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying.
I'd like to begin by welcoming members of the committee, witnesses, as well as those watching this meeting on the web.
My name is Marc Garneau, and I am the House of Commons joint chair of this committee. I am joined by the Honourable Yonah Martin, the Senate's joint chair.
Today we are continuing our examination of the statutory review of the provisions of the Criminal Code relating to medical assistance in dying and their application.
You are all familiar with the Board of Internal Economy directives concerning health protocols, so I am not obliged to repeat them. I hope you will all adhere to them.
I would also like to remind members and witnesses to keep their microphones muted, unless recognized by name by the joint chair. A reminder that all comments should be addressed through the joint chairs. When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly.
Interpretation in this videoconference will work like in an in‑person committee meeting. You have the choice, at the bottom of your screen, of either Floor, English or French.
First, there's some very quick committee business.
On Wednesday, April 20, the subcommittee on agenda and procedure met to consider committee business and made some recommendations. Pursuant to House of Commons procedure, the committee must ratify the subcommittee recommendations to put them in force.
Those recommendations are as follows: One, hearings are divided into three one-hour panels; two, written briefs must be received by May 9 and not exceed 1,000 words; three, today's testimony is from practitioners and family members, and the next meeting's theme will be palliative care; and four, themes that we will be dealing with during this committee's meetings are in the following order: palliative care, advance directives, disabilities, mature minors, and mental health, in that order, as I said.
The clerks have distributed report one of the subcommittee on agenda and procedure. Do members have any changes they wish to propose to the report, or are they ready to endorse it?
Does anybody want to make a change?
I don't see anything, so is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the report?
I see unanimity.
With that, I would like to welcome our witnesses for panel number one and turn it over to Senator Yonah Martin.