Madam Speaker, I apologize that the equipment is not quite correct.
I was on the point of the slippery slope argument. I will go off my notes here for a second.
Since this legislation came into existence in 2016, I have spoken with everyone I can who has major concerns regarding end-of-life issues. One was a colleague in previous Parliaments who is in a wheelchair. I asked him to give me a compelling argument that this is not a slippery slope, because I was open to accepting that. He could not. He wanted it for himself and I understood that. I might be in the same boat as him at that point myself, but let me talk about the effects on the larger society.
When society is conditioned to accepting death upon request, many of the advocates for open expansion of euthanasia will say that will never happen. I hope they are right, but the international data and experience with euthanasia and assisted-suicide laws is both revealing and startling. Belgium and the Netherlands have expanded the scope of their laws and, in practice, the safeguards have failed. In 2002, Belgium had 24 cases. The latest statistics in 2019 are 2,656 cases. In 2002, the Netherlands had 1,822 cases. In 2019, it had 6,361 cases. In practice, being tired of life is an accepted reason.
Doctors are also able to bypass the law by diagnosing so-called polypathology. This refers to multiple complaints that occur in old age, such as loss of vision and hearing, chronic pain, rheumatism, weakness and fatigue. This comes from the Vienna-based Institute for Medical Anthropology and Bioethics.
I would also like to address the indigenous community, because it represents the single largest first nation in Canada, the Six Nations of the Grand River. Indigenous leaders recently came from across Canada to say they have grave concerns about efforts to expand the availability of assisted suicide, warning that it will have a “a lasting impact on our vulnerable populations” and that “Bill C-7 goes against many of our cultural values—”