Mr. Speaker, simply put, the record will show that the member's characterization of my remarks is not at all accurate.
Let me just re-emphasize a point that I made. The very purpose of safeguards is to deal with the exceptional case. I agree that the vast majority of health care practitioners are not only well-intentioned, but also are not trying to push the envelope in any way. However, the data I cited suggests that in other jurisdictions we have seen how a relatively large number of problematic cases can emerge from the actions of perhaps also well-intentioned but definitely envelope-pushing physicians, who go beyond the intention of the legislature with respect to this bill.
The parliamentary secretary had some points that I wanted to get back to very quickly.
It is true that the legislation excludes depression as a sole condition, but it does not exclude people who suffer from depression from accessing it. In a previous Parliament, the member for St. Albert—Edmonton tried to introduce an amendment, whereby if someone was suffering from depression as well as other conditions, there would at least be a psychiatric assessment—