Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Thank you to all of our witnesses for helping to guide our committee through this. It's not an easy subject, and I say that with experience, having been on this committee from the get-go, both in the last Parliament and in this one.
Dr. Downie, I'd like to start with you.
I'll freely admit that, personally, I do have a level of discomfort when we talk about mental disorders and access to MAID. I also appreciate that our committee's mandate is quite narrow. We're not tasked with relitigating the law. In fact, the House of Commons just had a vote on that, so we have to respect that process. We're being tasked as a committee with verifying the degree of preparedness, and I did listen to your opening remarks. I'll tell you why I have a level of discomfort.
I represent the riding of Cowichan—Malahat—Langford on Vancouver Island. I walk around my communities, and it is quite obvious that there is a mental health crisis going on. You can see people in obvious need of help who are not getting the services they require. It's tearing parts of my community apart.
As a parliamentarian—not only as a member of this committee, but also as someone who is trying to do right by his constituents—how do I verify the degree of preparedness? How do I satisfy that when I have that reality at home?