Madam Speaker, I feel honoured tonight to be speaking to Bill C-7 given the many great speeches by my Conservative colleagues, who are concerned about our citizens and especially those in the disability and senior communities.
I speak today deeply concerned about Bill C-7 and the changes being proposed in the legislation. I know this is an emotional issue for everyone, and it is an important discussion we are having this evening. Any legislation that is introduced in Parliament requires a thorough review, but this is especially true for bills that are literally matters of life and death.
It is my firm belief that the federal government should have appealed to the Supreme Court to get certainty on the framework within which Parliament can legislate. Unfortunately, that did not happen, so here we are with a rushed bill that puts the lives of our most vulnerable at risk.
Make no mistake: As a Christian I am firmly against the use of medically assisted dying. That said, I understand that the courts have made a ruling and the legislation is required. However, we must ensure that this type of legislation includes safeguards for the most vulnerable in our society and for the conscience rights of physicians and health professionals.
That is why we Conservatives introduced a number of reasonable amendments to reinstate protections that the Liberal government has simply removed, which is troubling. These include reinstating a 10-day reflection period when death is reasonably foreseeable, extending the reflection period when death is not reasonably foreseeable, protecting vulnerable patients by requiring that the patient be the one who first requests information on medical assistance in dying and protecting the conscience rights of health care professionals.
It is unfortunate that these amendments have been rejected by the government. I am deeply concerned that this legislation will allow assisted death for Canadians who are not dying by removing the requirement that a person's death must be reasonably foreseeable for them to be eligible for assisted suicide and euthanasia.
My dad is 86 and my mom is 76, and as the son of two elderly Canadians, I am very concerned about what this would mean for our nation's seniors and the positions they may be put in when trying to access health care. Will they be placed in a position where they will have to decide between care and ending their lives because of outside pressure? As the bill expands medically assisted dying further, there is a risk that palliative care will suffer and, as a result, patients will view medically assisted dying as a better option.
I know Canadians share my concerns. It must be said that every national disability organization in Canada opposes this legislation. Krista Carr, executive vice-president of Inclusion Canada, said at committee, “Bill C-7 is our worst nightmare.” These organizations caution that removing the end of life requirement discriminates against those who are disabled and puts their lives at even greater risk. Ms. Carr notes:
The end-of-life requirement was the only safeguard whereby disability was not the sole criterion. By having a disability itself under Bill C-7 as the justification for the termination of life, the very essence of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms would be shattered. Discrimination on the basis of disability would once again be entrenched in Canadian law.
It is shameful that in the Liberal government's rush to pass the bill before Christmas, it continues to neglect to address legitimate concerns being raised by persons with disabilities.
I am also deeply concerned about the limited protections for the conscience rights of our medical professionals. While some doctors and health care workers may have been comfortable with medically assisted dying under Bill C-14, the continued expansion may cause them to rethink their participation.
Others who have always been against medically assisted dying are already feeling the pressure to go against what they believe. As the Physicians Alliance Against Euthanasia said in a news release just last March, “The pressure has been intense for many physicians, especially amongst palliative specialists, some leaving their profession even before this latest development. Descriptions were made of toxic practice environments and fear of discipline by medical regulators.”
Members of the justice committee have heard first-hand from disability advocates vehemently opposed to Bill C-7 and its rapid expansion of medical assistance in dying. They argue it amounts to a deadly form of discrimination, making it easier for persons with disabilities to die than live. It is shameful.
Health care professionals have also spoken out, concerned not only about their conscience rights but also about the speed at which the government is trying to pass Bill C-7. To quote Adam Taylor about the lack of consultation on this legislation, “As an emergency and family doctor, I know the importance of consultation, along with the day to day experiences and sufferings of Canadians which cannot be ignored. I'm terrifically concerned about this.” Even so, here we are, and the Liberals are continuing to push through the bill, ignoring concerns of those who would be directly affected by these changes. Again, it is shameful.
As the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada said in its submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, we must carefully consider the impact of Bill C-7 and the concerns being raised by many Canadians, particularly Canadians with disabilities. The legislation, not to mention the human lives the bill would negatively affect, is too important to be rushed.