Mr. Speaker, the political gamesmanship here is absolutely shameful. The government knows full well that Parliament has to act before March 17 to prevent MAID from expanding to mental illness alone.
However, instead of introducing a straightforward bill to do exactly that, the Liberals have tied it to an entirely separate expansion of assisted dying. They are using an approaching deadline to pressure Parliament into accepting something it has not properly studied. They are holding the protection of one vulnerable group hostage against the expansion of MAID for another.
If the government genuinely wants to protect Canadians struggling with mental illness, there is a very simple solution: split the bill and pass that protection immediately.