Health committee  Of course.

Health committee  Correct. I wanted—

Health committee  We were suggesting a broader term to reach other health care providers—

Health committee  —all health care providers who will benefit from training in light of the previous discussion around the palliative approach to care.

Health committee  It's important to highlight the caregivers as well.

Health committee  We saw that one as sufficient.

Health committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. My name is Josette Roussel. I'm a registered nurse and senior nurse adviser for the Canadian Nurses Association, the national professional voice representing nearly 139,000 RNs and nurse practitioners, including almost 1,400 nurses with specialty certificat

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Yes.

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  We have RNs and nurse practitioners who are able to do the initial assessment. Capacity assessment requires special training, and we need specialized individuals to help us. The nurses are able to do some initial evaluation, but those next steps around capacity are usually done b

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Usually it's a legal professional. Nurses do not usually sign for those capacity tools and assessments. We can contribute to that assessment throughout our initial interactions with the patients, but the legal and formal part is not done by the nurses.

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Currently we have over 4,000 nurse practitioners in Canada and we have 250,000 nurses. I don't have the numbers in remote and rural communities, but those two categories are present throughout the remote and rural areas. They have access to teams. Sometimes they are virtual tea

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  We know of a few examples and models. I'm thinking about a Newfoundland model that uses telemedicine sometimes to access specialized services. It's been very successful at reaching out to specialists who are not able to physically go into those communities. A lot of consultations

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  They will have access to a visual aid, such as a TV, and a communication tool. The patient would be there, and they would be able to communicate with the specialist. Sometimes it's very sophisticated, so that through the technology you're able to do a fairly comprehensive.... I'

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  We all know that nurse practitioners are autonomous professionals and currently are prescribing medication. They have an expanded scope and are working in areas where they are sometimes the lead providers. In terms of access, we believe that this proposed model will enhance acces

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  I just want to clarify that there's a role for nurses for Quebec in the assessment component. They're also part of the team that provides support, because they have the structure in place. However, I agree that the administration of it is physician-led.