Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that the Liberal government will do what it can in terms of administering a palliative health care policy from coast to coast to coast. It is something we have believed in for many years and ultimately have been advocating for. Therefore, it is with pride when I look to the current Prime Minister and the Minister of Health when we talk about how we are going to see an investment in palliative care.
Before I talk more about palliative care, I want to talk about why we are here today.
It was a Supreme Court decision, a unanimous decision, which needs to be highlighted, where all of the judges came to the conclusion that Canadians suffering intolerably have the right to request assistance to end their suffering. We respect that decision. The issue before us today is, if Canada should have medical assistance in dying, how do we make it available? In essence, that is the issue before us today.
It is important that we recognize that this decision was made in February 2015. The government of the day sat back and did virtually nothing. It took a change in government, when Canadians spoke on October 19, and then a number of weeks that followed. We had the first Liberal-appointed cabinet in the last decade, and part of the mandate letter was to deal with this issue.
We do not have a choice. The Supreme Court has made this decision. We have a responsibility as parliamentarians to act on that court decision.
We have seen an incredible amount of effort put in by members of the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying, who worked virtually around the clock, seven days a week, with Senate colleagues. They did a phenomenal job in terms of getting us into the position of where we are today, which is debating the bill at second reading.
Hopefully, sometime this week, we will see the bill pass second reading. Parliamentarians, many of whom have talked about all sorts of ideas, will be able to make their presentation or express their thoughts at the committee stage, and at the same time allow stakeholders and individuals to share their incredible experience. At the end of the day, if we can improve this legislation, I can assure members that the Government of Canada is open to doing that. We are not fearful of accepting amendments, if in fact it can improve the quality of the legislation.
Within the legislation, members will find that there is an automatic review mechanism. After four years from this legislation becoming law, it will be reviewed by Parliament. I believe that is the responsible thing to do.
As parliamentarians, I would suggest we all have a role to play in terms of looking at how we are going to get this legislation through in a timely fashion. Not only does it have to pass the House and go to committee, it also has to get through the Senate, and it is important that it be done by June 6. We need to do this, because it is one of the ways we ensure that there are standards across the country so that void can be been filled.
We can look at what the legislation would actually do.
Access to medical assistance in dying would only be available to those who meet certain conditions. One, they must be mentally competent adults who are in an advance state of irreversible decline and capability. Two, they must have a serious and incurable illness, disease, or disability, and are experiencing enduring and intolerable suffering caused by their medical condition. Three, it must be those whose death has become reasonably foreseeable, taking into account their medical circumstances. We believe this meets what the Supreme Court of Canada has asked of us.
Obviously, it is a very emotional issue. We all have stories that we can reflect on. In 1999, I was at my father's deathbed. Thanks to good palliative care, I was able to be there at his time of passing. I appreciate the importance of pain management. He was in what I would classify as a fantastic facility. It allowed my father to end his life in a very positive fashion. Having a wonderful relationship with those he truly cared about and loved was very important, not only to me but to my family.
Prior to his going into Riverview Health Centre, I remember that we could barely communicate with him because of the intense pain that he endured. Once he was in the loving and caring hands of our health care professionals in a palliative care unit, with proper medications and painkillers, the difference was night and day. I remember saying to the doctor that we were going to have to look at having him come out, believing that he was getting so much better.
Our health care workers do an incredible service to Canadians. We need to recognize that. We should not be fearful that the legislation is going to obligate a doctor, a nurse, or a nurse practitioner to do something that goes against who they are, or that they are going to be penalized for that.
We have had those assurances, whether it is a charter of rights assurance or assurances from the ministers directly when they brought this bill forward and addressed it. The assurances are there. We are going to provide a service that is necessary. It is the right thing to do.
This is not something that is coming from one political party or one faction of society. It has gone through the court process. Nine Supreme Court judges ruled unanimously. We believe in Canada, and we believe in the rule of law. We recognize that this legislation is necessary.
As I indicated, there is always the opportunity to look for ways to improve the legislation. I am anxious to see it get to the committee stage, and to see if there is anything that could come out of the committee that would make it a better piece of legislation.
I have had the opportunity to listen to a good portion of this debate. I want to emphasize how important it is that we continue to look at palliative care and the potential that the Government of Canada has to show leadership on this issue, much like the current Prime Minister demonstrated leadership by getting in this legislation in its current format and getting the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying working together to bring us to where we are today.
We want to see the same sort of leadership, and I believe it is there, on the issue of palliative care. We do need to see strong national leadership on that issue. That is why I was very glad when the Minister of Health made a $3-billion commitment to palliative care.
Let us not kid ourselves; it will not be easy. I was a health care critic at the provincial level. If we are going to try to implement a program that is going to be universal so that it does not matter what region of the country people are living in, it will require a great deal of sitting down with our provincial counterparts and other stakeholders, in particular our first nations, aboriginal communities, to come up with how we can shape a world-class palliative care system.
Let us not kid ourselves; it is not going to be an easy challenge. That is why I am very grateful for the sense of commitment, whether it is coming from the PMO's office or from the Minister of Health in regard to making sure that, number one, there are financial resources to follow the commitment; and number two, that there is a feeling that in order to achieve it, we have to get people sitting around the table. That is something that is truly different this time around from what it was under the previous administration.
This government believes in working with other levels of government and believes in working with people. I believe that ultimately that is going to make the difference.
Today we debate this very important issue that all Canadians are very much concerned about. All Canadians have an opinion on it. It is such a privilege to express what I believe is what a majority of my constituents would want me to do on this issue and I feel very proud in terms of what this government has been able to accomplish in a relatively short period of time.