Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Thank you. My questions are for Dr. Smith. All of us are concerned about suggestions that vulnerable Canadians would be at risk in this regime that is to be established in response to Carter. Would you agree with me that the concepts of capacity, competence, and informed conse

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Excuse me. I don't mean to cut you short, but I'm going to get short here in a minute. Isn't it exactly that? This committee has been charged with a responsibility. The government has said that it will act in response to a specific time frame that's been set forth by the Supreme

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  I would agree with you absolutely. Thank you.

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  At the risk of appearing to be sort of ganging up, I wanted to follow up on some points that Senator Joyal made earlier. All of us are aware of the statistics on the availability of palliative care and the need for better palliative care more widely distributed across the country

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Do I have time?

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  I'll pass. I'll give 15 seconds to someone else.

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Thank you for being here this morning. It's very interesting. I'd like to return to the issue of advance consent or advance directives and the concern that I think we all share about exposing vulnerable people to results that they would not want if they were to change their mind

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  It would be through the eyes of the patient.

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Ms. Pastine, Mr. Paterson, can you comment on that issue? From a practical point of view, how would this regime work to assure the kind of protection that we all want to have?

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  This is even if there's a loss of competence between the time the document is executed and the time the assistance is provided.

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Ms. Pastine.

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Thank you, Chair. There have been some suggestions that we should be very careful how far we go, that we should just stick very carefully to the federal thing and leave everything else to the provinces. What's your view of that, having participated in the provincial-territorial

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Thank you. Professor Downie, you've had an opportunity to review the provisions of the draft bill as prepared and circulated by Mr. Baker and Mr. Sharpe. Can you advise us of your views on whether it's meeting the test set forth in Carter and on its compliance with the provision

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Could you share with us your views of the Belgian experience that Professor Lemmens spoke about, and your own impressions and knowledge of that?

Physician-Assisted Dying committee  Is it a medical assessment, a professional medical assessment, or is it only a legal definition issue? I can appreciate the need for clarity, but are you looking to Parliament for that clarity, or would you be looking to the college of physicians and surgeons in your province?