Thank you very much, Mr. Joint Chair.
Welcome to your Parliament, ladies and gentlemen.
My question is very simple. We are here not to determine whether we support allowing people to die with dignity through physician-assisted dying but, rather, to decide how to go about it.
The Supreme Court was quite clear in telling us that we needed to amend the Criminal Code. Given, however, that the Criminal Code is the responsibility of the federal government while health care falls in the provincial domain, we need to figure out how to harmonize the two.
In the committee's recommendations to the government, should we suggest that the legislation set out very clear direction for the provinces or give them free reign, in your view? I'd like to hear what all three of you think. For the sake of comprehension, I'll ask Mr. Smith, from Vancouver, to go first.