Mr. Speaker, the minister has just reminded us that everyone ought to have equal and inherent rights, but we know that throughout this pandemic the government has refused to prioritize the pursuit of a very equal life for people with disabilities.
I want to bring the voice of one of my constituents, Sarah Jama, who is part of a disability justice network, to ensure that her and their voices are heard. She states, “It is evident through our history of forced sterilization and institutionalization that the current crisis of deaths in long-term care homes and continued legislated poverty across this country that with the changes in the requirement for foreseeable death to MAID, what measures will our government put in place to adequately ensure that people with disabilities will not experience systemic or implicit coercion regarding their access to MAID and will this government finally prioritize the life of people with disabilities in this country as much as it has thoughtfully prioritized their access to death?”