Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for talking about palliative care. In my opinion, that is an important issue that has not been brought up and talked about enough.
It does not make any sense to say that people who are diagnosed with a terminal illness have two choices. One of those choices is not a very good one, so we are going to offer people medical assistance in dying. Meanwhile, the palliative care that is available may be less than optimal, or there may be none available at all.
Many palliative care facilities are non-profit organizations. We can therefore provide them with direct assistance. These facilities need to raise thousands of dollars every year to provide their services. They would like to have bigger rooms to make more space for family members.
Does my colleague agree with me that the choices that are being offered to patients do not make sense? One of those choices is not a very good one, so rather than choosing the best option, people have to choose what seems like the least of the bad options in their circumstances.