Mr. Speaker, I am probably one of the last to speak today, since it is almost midnight.
Since this is my first long speech, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the 105,000 voters I represent. Not all 105,000 of my constituents voted for me, but more than 44% of the people of Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier did. I thank them.
Members win election campaigns, but we never do so alone. It is a family affair. Family is important to me. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my wife, Isabelle, who happens to be here this week. She is not in the gallery because it is late, but I appreciate her being here in Ottawa. I also want to thank my children, who are currently asleep. Charles-Antoine and Ann-Frédérique participated in my election campaign and sacrificed quality time with their father during the campaign. I want to thank them.
Last year, 2015, was a very difficult year for me. Talking about it is very emotional for me. There was an election. The 338 MPs here campaigned, but unfortunately, as fate would have it, my father passed away right in the middle of the campaign, on August 19. Unfortunately, he will never see me here in the House. He would probably have been very proud. My mother died in May. Both of my parents died in the same year, in 2015. I had two loyal volunteers up there watching over me. Sadly, my mother died of cancer like so many Canadians. We all have our story. I am sharing mine today. My father and mother died in 2015, but the year ended on a high note because I was elected.
My mother was diagnosed with cancer two years before she died. That is why I am taking part in this evening's debate, because I supported my mother through her illness. She passed away on May 1, 2015. She lived through that agony, and I would call it agony, but she was serene. She had some good times in those two years. She enjoyed the gatherings we had during those last two years. I saw her smile. I saw her stay positive. I saw her become a fighter. Unfortunately, on May 1, at 6:50 p.m., I had the unfortunate experience of finding her in her hospital bed after she had died. She had just begun palliative care. Unfortunately, it happened just a few minutes before I entered the room. That is why this debate is so important to me. I supported her. She did not really have the opportunity to improve her condition, which deteriorated really quickly.
The principle behind Bill C-14 is to allow Canadians to die with dignity. What is the definition of “dignity”? Dignity can be described as the respect, consideration, or regard that someone or something deserves. Human dignity is the principle whereby no person should ever be treated as an object or as a means, but rather as an intrinsic entity.
Out of respect, I can say that my mother was treated with dignity. She was treated with respect throughout her agony. She was respected until the very end. The law did not exist. Is this law really necessary? The Supreme Court requires us to make a decision, pass a law, accept a law and enact it. However, what worries me about this law are the parameters. It is important to understand that we must allow people to have access to medical assistance in dying.
However, human nature being what it is, it is difficult to take rights away from people after implementing a law that is too broad in scope. I therefore invite parliamentarians and the committee that will be examining the bill to be thorough and restrictive.
Let us begin by talking about the definition of “reasonably foreseeable”. I would like to inform the House that according to my life expectancy, I will die in 2044 at the age of 79. That is reasonable and foreseeable. That means we have a problem. This term is not defined clearly enough. It is not specific enough. The definition is too broad.
The Supreme Court of Canada gave us the mandate to determine the criteria for defining grievous and irremediable medical conditions. Why are we afraid of using science to define these criteria? Science can determine whether someone is at the end of his or her life. We are afraid to use words like “terminal”. A word like that does not really leave room for interpretation. If science tells a person that his or her condition is terminal, then it means that it is terminal and that that person should expect to die in the near future.
I would encourage the people who will be assessing the legislation to be very specific. We need to restrict access to this procedure. In my opinion, the first criterion should be that access is limited to people who are, unfortunately, terminally ill. I want to emphasize that safeguards should be put in place to restrict access to medical assistance in dying. We need to set very strict and restrictive parameters.
Doctors are there to save lives. They need to abide by the Hippocratic oath. Nurse practitioners are also being added to the mix. When they went to school, they did not expect to have to take any action that would result in death. We are talking about professionals who want to treat people to help improve their health. Why are we asking them to do the opposite? Are we going to ask other groups who work in hospitals to engage in this type of intervention? The nursing associations that I consulted were very surprised to be given this new responsibility and be part of this debate.
Some argue that there are regions that do not have access to doctors. If there are no nurse practitioners, who are we going to ask? The bill provides for a 15-day waiting period. To my knowledge, in this very beautiful country of Canada, the second-largest in the world, we are never 15 days away from treatment by doctors. We must not hand over the responsibility of carrying this out to a professional body other than the medical profession.
Do my colleagues know that a person other than nurse practitioners and doctors can go around with the famous drug that ends life? Clause 4 of the bill clearly stipulates:
No pharmacist who dispenses a substance to a person other than a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner commits an offence under paragraph (1)(b) if the pharmacist dispenses the substance further to a prescription that is written by such a practitioner in providing medical assistance in dying in accordance with section 241.2.
That is dangerous. People will be able to walk the streets with a drug that kills. We must also protect our seniors. They are vulnerable people. Heirs, insurance policies, caregivers, and families can take advantage of seniors. Let us protect our seniors. Let us be restrictive and put safeguards in place to impose as many limits as possible.
There is a centre called Cité Joie in my riding. I can understand that people reach the point of exhaustion. The centre offers respite. I can tell you that I have seen people there with extraordinary smiles.
I cannot bear to no longer see such happiness. We have to support these people. We cannot give them that possibility. I have much to say. However, in closing, I would like to inform the House that I have not made up my mind about the final bill. I am asking the committee that will study it to put more restrictive provisions in the bill so that we can believe in life and we resort to the legislation only at the end of life.
