Criminal Code  moved Motion No. 4 That Bill C-14, in Clause 3, be amended by adding after line 5 on page 6 the following: “(f) they have, if they suffer from an underlying mental health condition, undergone a psychiatric examination performed by a certified psychiatrist to confirm their capacity to give informed consent to receive medical assistance in dying.”

Justice  Mr. Speaker, in the six months that the Minister of Justice has been in office, she has yet to make a single judicial appointment. Last week, Chief Justice Wittmann of Alberta said that due to judicial vacancies, cases were being thrown out of court, including one serious fraud case.

Justice  Mr. Speaker, last week, Chief Justice Wittmann said this of the judicial vacancy crisis, “Sooner or later there's going to be a serious delay in a serious offence, by that I mean a violent crime.” This week we find out that at least two sexual assault cases in Alberta will likely be thrown out of court due to delay.

Justice  Mr. Speaker, the minister has to understand the urgency in appointing judges, and yet the minister has not even figured out the process, let alone appointed a single judge. The minister is creating a crisis because of her own apathy. How backlogged do the Liberals want the courts to be?

Justice  Mr. Speaker, it has been six months since the Minister of Justice was appointed, and in that time, the minister has found plenty of time to attend pay-to-play fundraisers, but has not found the time to appoint a single judge. This at a time when our courts face an unprecedented backlog.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, it is certainly disappointing to rise on what is surely a dark day for parliamentary democracy and a dark day for Canada. It is incredible that members on that side of the House are laughing about shutting down debate on one of the most important issues that this Parliament will confront, an issue that impacts thousands of Canadians not just for today but for decades to come.

Criminal Code  And they're still laughing, Mr. Speaker. It's shameful. I was particularly astounded that the Minister of Justice would stand and justify shutting down parliamentary debate on this most important issue on the basis that it was necessary to meet the June 6 deadline. She stood in the House minutes ago—

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise to speak to Bill C-247. At the outset, let me congratulate the member for Mississauga—Streetsville for his impassioned speech. While I will not be able to support the bill for reasons that I will explain momentarily, I do want to acknowledge that this legislation is well intentioned and that the objectives of the hon. member are noble.

Protection of Pregnant Women and Their Preborn Children Act (Cassie and Molly's Law)  Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise today to speak in support of Bill C-225. At the outset, I want to congratulate my colleague, the hon. member for Yorkton—Melville for bringing forward this important and much-needed legislation to protect women and close a glaring void in justice under the Criminal Code.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, first of all, there is a large number of physicians who have raised this issue. I think Parliament owes it to them to address the issue. I agree with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada that it is absolutely imperative, absolutely essential, that Parliament pass legislation before the declaration on the stay of constitutional invalidity expires on June 6.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I do not support an effective referral regime. I believe that an effective referral regime would contravene section 2 of the charter. I would also note that there is no jurisdiction in the world that has an effective referral regime, not Belgium, not the Netherlands, not any of the states in the U.S. that have physician-assisted dying, and not the province of Quebec.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I believe that any legislative response needs to adhere to the parameters of Carter. What the Supreme Court said with respect to minors is “competent adult person”. If the Supreme Court contemplated minors, the Supreme Court would have said so, but it did not say that.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, that is an important question. I am concerned that there will be inconsistencies. There already seem to be some inconsistencies with some of the guidelines that have come out of the colleges. I think there is a simple way to address this to ensure that physicians' charter rights are respected, and I think the federal government can play a role in that with a fairly simple amendment to the legislation.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I want to thank my friend, the hon. member for Victoria, and also acknowledge the important contribution that he made to the special joint committee. His contribution was very valuable. I would just reiterate the point that I previously made, that I do see a need for consistency, and that could be done in the way of a simple amendment to the legislation.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada for her thoughtful presentation this morning. The issue of physician-assisted dying is one of the most important social issues that Canada has faced in some time. There is no question that physician-assisted dying will be one of the most important issues this Parliament must address.