Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the witnesses for their illuminating insights. You're giving us a lot of food for thought. Since I have only three and a half minutes left, my questions will be for Dr. Freeland. Dr. Freeland, I understand your association has been quite interested in the issue of access to MAID for mental disorders and you co-chair a committee—a working group—on this.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Yes, please send us a copy once your subgroup has met. In the meantime, can you tell us, based on your previous discussions and your understanding of the report, if that report is missing something on some issues. Are there issues that need further study?

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank all the witnesses for their testimony, but I only have three minutes. My question is for professor Vrakas. Professor Vrakas, you talked about a crisis, someone going to the emergency room. Obviously, the intervention has to be quick.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  , People are being deprived of their decision to live for additional months or years, because they are forced to choose to die now in order to be able to exercise their decision.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you, Dr. Boisvert.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Dr. Boisvert, my question is for you. Based on your experience and your area of specialization, can you tell me whether, since the act was amended, you have encountered any situations in which patients, out of fear of losing capacity and being unable to consent later, decided to advance the date on which they would receive medical assistance in dying, and perhaps miss out on six months or a year of happy living, simply because they wanted to make sure they could decide when their life would end?

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question will be for Dr. Downie. We all agree that if we have advance requests, they should be in the case of an irremediable condition, and that should be well defined. What seems to be bugging some people is the concept of “intolerable suffering”. You say that when you lose capacity, sometimes you're not suffering in your new situation.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Behind it will be the principles of autonomy and the right to dignity—

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  —instead of removing “intolerable suffering”. Some people are completely at stage 7, but they are not suffering. They are no longer the person they were, but they are not necessarily suffering, according to those who observe them.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I understand that it's a different regime, and that it might require different guarantees and safeguards.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you.