Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to all of our witnesses. I particularly appreciate, Cardinal Collins, your strong assertion of the need for our committee to address palliative care. I really appreciate your putting that on the table.
I want to explore a little bit of what Mr. Warawa was just saying in his question, presumably to Mr. Worthen. I'm going to read to you from the the “Interim Guidance” of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. They talk about how physicians must provide an “effective referral...to a non-objecting, available, and accessible physician or agency...in a timely manner”. In my province of British Columbia, the similar body says that physicians must ensure “an effective transfer of care for their patients”. This is in the context of conscience protection for health care providers.
Now, you have stated that this obligation to refer patients would violate the conscience rights of certain physicians and that instead there should be a mechanism to provide patients with third party information, assessment, and services. I'm a little concerned, though, because other witnesses have told us that simply providing a person who wishes to exercise their constitutional right can't be limited by a Yellow Pages reference, an 800 number, or a website.
I'm trying to get my head around what you're suggesting and, in particular, how that would affect “effective” right of access for Canadians in remote communities if one were to accede to your recommendation.