Justice committee  Certainly a lot of people we treat for depression in geriatrics and in primary care have many other physical illnesses that could be their excuse for requesting MAID.

Justice committee  In my presentation, I talked about the number of people who will become eligible for medical assistance in dying with this bill. We are talking about thousands and millions of people.

Justice committee  The bill is no longer just for that group of people, it's for everybody.

Justice committee  Most terminally ill people don't want to die faster, they want to live as long and as well as possible. The fact that a doctor or a nurse or any other professional comes to a patient and tells them that one of their options is to be killed right away—I know we don't like that kin

Justice committee  I think you have changed the subject, Mr. Thériault, but—

Justice committee  You are talking about patients who request it. That's another question and it's not relevant—

Justice committee  I don't think there's a problem with that, because he's continually bombarded with information about it, particularly by the media. On the other hand, for our part, we have a hard time defending the option of continuing to live. You can ask everyone who has been involved in pall

Justice committee  Yes, I agree.

Justice committee  The college of physicians has amended its code of ethics to open the door to medical assistance in dying. In my view, and by age-old medical tradition, taking a person's life is not providing them with care. Personally, I refer patients to those who will provide them with care t

Justice committee  Exactly.

Justice committee  You mean it is the doctor or the professional who provides that option to the patient?

Justice committee  I'm a physician, and I've worked since 1984 in the geriatric clinic at the McGill University Health Centre. My focus is on care for patients with cognitive disorders. I often do capacity assessment and testify in court for my patients. My colleagues ask my advice on capacity asse

Justice committee  I don't have any particular study at my fingertips, but I can tell you that this is the experience of essentially all doctors ever.

Justice committee  In Quebec right now, doctors who are not willing to conduct it themselves are obliged to send the patient along a path that will ensure that it will be done. That, to me, is similar to what Dr. Blackmer said about Ontario, which requires referral directly to someone who will do i

Justice committee  I think we have to look after those people.