Absolutely, Senator Kutcher. Certainly in my experience as a practitioner, I often called on medical practitioners to provide opinions as to capacity. I always found them to be ready, willing and able to do that. As you say, they are trained. That is a core competency that they have. Physicians do that every day.
I think some cases, as you would know from your own experience, are more difficult to assess than others, but that's what physicians do. It is a clinical decision made by trained professionals, and shouldn't be made by lawyers or politicians. I think it's a clinical decision, and that's what ought to be done.
There obviously are individuals who hold a different view than I do about the appropriateness of MAID and whether it ought or ought not to be permitted, and again, it is a matter of individual choice. If an individual chooses to seek MAID and meets the very strict criteria that are set forth in the legislation, then the court has said and Parliament has said that they are entitled to access that service. I don't believe others ought to impose their view, however firmly held or however strongly held, or be in a position to impose that view on others.
As you have said, and as the polls that have been conducted.... I think if we haven't already, we will shortly be updating that Ipsos poll to include recent and consistent data showing that for the overwhelming majority of Canadians of all religions and no religions, who suffer from a disability or no disability, or who have mental illness or don't have mental illness, the numbers are consistently high that they favour the MAID regime that we have and indeed are anxious that the legislation be amended and expanded to allow for advance requests.