Mr. Speaker, there are stakeholder groups that represent Canadians with disabilities who are concerned that this legislation could diminish the value of the lives of people who live with severe disabilities. I believe that, in certain situations, social supports should be available to people living in those situations so that there is never any question that somebody is making a choice to end their life because of a lack of resources to live with dignity.
We spend a lot of time here talking about dying with dignity, but we also have to talk about living with dignity in a complementary way. I am talking about access to affordable housing for those living in poverty, especially for those who have disabilities who may not have the same access to opportunities for employment or success, and access to home care. These are all things that I believe people need to have in place in order to be in a position of empowerment when making the choice of how to proceed with either end of life or living with a severe disability.
I also think that in this place, as we are debating this issue, we need to reaffirm over and over again that those who have disabilities in Canada are equal in every way, and that we have a dual responsibility to ensure that they are supported and—