Thank you and good morning, Mr. Chair.
My name is Marc Sauvé. I am the director of research and legislation services at the Quebec Bar. I'm accompanied by Mr. Jean-Pierre Ménard, a lawyer recognized in Quebec for his expertise in health law. Counsellor Ménard was a member of the Quebec Bar working group on dying with dignity in 2010. He also chaired the committee of expert jurists created by the Government of Quebec to study the implementation of the recommendations of the Select Committee on Dying with Dignity of the National Assembly. The report of that expert panel was tabled on January 15, 2013.
The Bar has not taken a position on the amendments the federal legislator may make to the Criminal Code in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling in the Carter case. The Bar has thus kept all of its options open to respond to any future bill on this topic.
I will now yield the floor to Mr. Ménard, who will give the members of the committee an overview of the legal issues involved in the various options related to this legislation.