Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to rise today to speak about Bill C-14, medical assistance in dying.
Death is a word that elicits strong emotions. We celebrate life. We embrace life. We talk about living. However, we avoid talking about death. We shy away from those conversations because they make us uncomfortable.
It is my sincere hope that this legislation will open the door to conversations about end of life and palliative care, about dying with dignity, and death.
I first want to thank all Canadians who participated in consultations with their provinces and the federal government on this issue. I want to acknowledge the work of all members of the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Death, who reported to Parliament at the end of February, and in particular my colleague, the member for Don Valley West, as well as the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Health. I personally appreciate their sensitivity and thoughtful dialogue.
I listened to the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Health when they spoke in the House on this bill. I have complete confidence in them to steward us as we begin the legislative process on Bill C-14, as well as in conversations about death and dying.
This is an issue that we have struggled with for many years. I recall in the early 1990s when former MP Svend Robinson compassionately took Sue Rodriguez's hand as she unsuccessfully sought permission from the Supreme Court to end her life as her ALS progressed.
The reasons for the need for this legislation are clear. The Supreme Court, in the Carter decision, unanimously decided that Canadians suffering intolerably have the right to request assistance to end their suffering.
With this legislation, the government has attempted to reach a balance, but, of course, in doing so will not please all people. Are there areas where the legislation does not go far enough? In my opinion, the answer is yes. Those with dementia will remain without an important option for end of life.
When on a journey with a terminal illness, there remains many questions pertaining to this legislation. I have no doubt that there will be fulsome discussion at committee on the legislation. I have received correspondence from residents concerned about implementation of this legislation by the territories and provinces. I am pleased that there will be additional study. This is just the beginning of the conversation, as it should be.
I know there are those who feel that this legislation goes too far. For the most part, I believe these people are fundamentally opposed to the Carter decision. However, regardless of where people fall on this legislation, I think we can all agree that the way we deal with death needs improvement.
Whether a grievously ill patient chooses to die at home, in a palliative care facility, or chooses medical assistance in dying, we should be having these conversations sooner, and lovingly assisting them in their end of life. These are not decisions that should be made during a health crisis, which is often the case. Rather, each of us should be engaged in advance care planning.
I recall, shortly before my father passed away a few years ago, sitting in his hospital room as he battled pneumonia. My sister and I had to talk to him about his wishes should his heart stop. As members can tell, it was one of the most difficult conversations that we ever had. While it was painful and heartbreaking, it was also necessary.
While I recognize that this legislation is not the same as deciding on a do-not-resuscitate order, talking about death is difficult. Talking about the death of a loved one is incredibly difficult. However, because it is difficult does not mean we should not talk about it. In fact, I would say that because it is difficult is the very reason we should talk about it.
We do such a poor job of educating people about their choices for end of life. There are choices. We also do a really poor job of making available those choices for end of life. For those who wish to die at home, there are a lack of resources available to them. For those wishing palliative care, those options too are limited.
I believe the federal government needs to work with the provinces and territories to develop a better framework for end-of-life care. Our platform has included a much-needed $3 billion over four years for home care and palliative care.
Today marks the beginning of National Hospice Palliative Care Week. Shortly after I was elected, I had the opportunity to visit Carpenter Hospice in Burlington, one of the only palliative care options available in Oakville and Burlington for those in the last days and months of their lives. While I was there, we not only talked about the wonderful facility, but we talked about how we as a society need to have more open conversations about death.
I was deeply touched by Bonnie Tompkin's story. She is a community health coordinator at Carpenter Hospice, but her story is a very personal one. When her fiancé Ian was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he was adamant that he wanted medical assistance in dying. As is common, his biggest concern was the burden he would place on loved ones as his illness progressed. After he saw Carpenter Hospice and was educated on the options available to him, he made the choice to spend his last days at the hospice.
Carpenter Hospice is actively working with the City of Burlington on adopting a compassionate city charter. Widely implemented in the United Kingdom, citizens in compassionate communities are engaged, knowledgeable, and informed about death, dying, loss, and bereavement.
As our health and well-being extends beyond our health care system to our friends and loved ones, our connections to public spaces, and those in community, the thinking behind the compassionate city charter is that the community plays a similar role at the end of life. To quote from the compassionate city charter:
Compassionate Cities are communities that recognize that all natural cycles of sickness and health, birth and death, and love and loss occur everyday within the orbits of its institutions and regular activities. A compassionate city is a community that recognizes that care for one another at times of crisis and loss is not simply a task solely for health and social services, but is everyone's responsibility.
Compassionate cities are supportive of diverse religious and cultural beliefs. I met with a couple in my riding who were concerned that this legislation would normalize suicide, but if we are building compassionate communities and talking about both life and death, then we can give people the tools they need, and options for life.
There was a time when we did not talk about cancer. That changed when a one-legged young man embarked on the cross-country Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980, forcing us to acknowledge not only his cancer, but the fact that people with disabilities need not be hidden from view.
We are only now starting to have a conversation about mental health, another subject that until recently was only spoken about in hushed tones. In fact, today on Parliament Hill, there was a walk for mental health awareness.
Death is another taboo subject, and one we do not want to talk about. However, because we do not talk about it, we do a disservice to our friends and loved ones when the time comes to face their own mortality.
I recently had a conversation with one of my best friends about death and dying, about this legislation, what end-of-life care should be, and what is lacking. Her husband, my good friend, is living with a terminal illness, ALS. Another of my good friends is currently navigating his father's end-of-life journey. These conversations are very hard, but perhaps in having these conversations we will make it easier for all of us to have choices, dignified choices about how our lives will end.
Death will never be easy to talk about, nor should it be, but death needs to be as much a part of our conversation as is life. We need to talk about life options and death with dignity. The time is long overdue.
We should perhaps take a page from the compassionate city charter and acknowledge that how we deal with death, dying, loss, and bereavement should be shared with the entire community, in every city from coast to coast to coast.