Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I think one of the best ways I could illustrate this is by an example from another realm of law. Laws and courts are among the most powerful cultural influences in our society. Last month, in the Munk lecture by Harvard sociologist Michèle Lamont, she observed that following th

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you. If I may speak to the member's question very briefly, to a disabled person who says to me, “I am not vulnerable and I am entitled to make my own decisions”, I say, “I agree 100%. That is why I am working very hard to make it clear that our entitlements extend to the f

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I will just quickly endorse what my fellow panellists have said. With respect, again, through the chair, the premise of the question is flawed. This is not a matter that challenges the notion that disabled people should have equal access and opportunity. Absolutely, we agree wi

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  That is on the basis of the number of cases of concern that we have been documenting and referring to in our testimony over the past three meetings of people who clearly wanted to live being induced to access MAID as a form of escape from deplorable conditions of life.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I'm sorry—is this directed to me?

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I've given you the primary two examples. Clarify the issue of causation, of what must be the cause of suffering. A person's medical condition is the only cause of suffering for which MAID was designed and intended. It's the only exemption to the Criminal Code, and that really nee

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you, through the chair. I'll tackle the first question first and quite briefly. I can say more in writing if you wish. There are some very significant phrases in our existing MAID law that are being overlooked. Perhaps I can give two examples. One is the meaning of the

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I speak from Mi'kma'ki, the unceded lands of the Mi'kmaq people whose dignity in the face of betrayal offers a lesson, I hope, close to my heart. My focus in these precious minutes for which I have your attention is track two MAID. I u

Justice committee  Madam Chair, I saw Dr. Janz had her hand up and I also—

Justice committee  Absolutely. There was a delicate balance between autonomy and equality struck in Bill C-14. If Bill C-7 proceeds, that delicate balance will simply no longer exist. It is a nightmare scenario, both in terms of the message it will send and in its immediate consequences. Sorry.

Justice committee  Yes, absolutely. We have been actively documenting—and we can provide ample evidence, anecdotal evidence—cases that come to our attention through the mainstream press and on social media of instances of how, even with the universally applied requirement of the most fundamental sa

Justice committee  Madam Chair, to respond to that, I have to first ask a question. For the purposes of responding, am I assuming that we now have medical assistance in dying for people who are not at the end of their lives? Is that implied by the question?

Justice committee  All right. Thank you. That was not the principal focus of my preparation, but I think it is important to recognize, as Dr. Janz alluded to, the very subtle ways in which our messaging, even the delivery of our care at times, can nudge a person. The best example I can offer is o

Justice committee  Madam Chair, I am not a lawyer but I will say that the legal advice we've have is that it is unprecedented for the Government of Canada to amend the Criminal Code on the basis of a lower court decision. I'm not sure that I would agree or that the people who have advised me would

Justice committee  I'm in Kings County, Nova Scotia.