Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Is that question for me as well?

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you. Yes, I think that's actually a very important point. We have already been assessing capacity for MAID in people who have serious mental health conditions and who have a comorbid physical disorder that makes them eligible. That's not just on track two, but also on track one.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  My sense is that those of us who have been providing assessments for track two will not feel surprised. I do think the system will struggle, because my understanding is that there are very few assessors right now who feel willing to accept those cases, so there will be a bottleneck in terms of the number of applications versus the psychiatrists willing to do those assessments.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you. If I have any speaking time left, I would like to give it to Senator Dalphond.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you for that question. Yes, I believe that the expert panel recommendations are very comprehensive and thorough. I have thought about that at length, and I can't think of anything that I would want to add or feel the need to add. Partly, I say that because I think the pre-existing safeguards that are already in place for track two are quite thorough if they are followed appropriately by assessors and providers.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I hope I understand your question correctly. My inclination is to say that I very much stand behind all of the recommendations we made on the expert panel, and I would hope those recommendations are translated into guidance items and protocols for provincial and local authorities to follow, once they start receiving these MAID requests.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you, Chair. My first question is for Dr. Dembo. Doctor Dembo, seeing as you work in the field and that you are also involved in research, I would like you to describe the process that allows you to assess the eligibility of someone for MAID and ask you to describe the time required for each step.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Am I correct in thinking that question was for me?

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Yes.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you. May I ask if it would be all right for me to partly read from something I previously prepared, where I walk through the process of a MAID assessment, or would you prefer I were brief?

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Could you tell us a bit more about the length of time for these steps? You may be brief.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I'm so sorry. The interpretation just disappeared.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  It really depends on the patient. Remember that, right now, we are not assessing people for sole mental illness, but rather using patients on track two as examples. I can expand on how that might apply. The first step is always gathering the information provided by the person referring the patient to me.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Yes, thank you. I better understand why the barriers would be doubled if a second psychiatric assessment were required. Have I understood correctly?

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  There are real obstacles to obtaining psychiatric assessments for MAID right now, even for track two patients. I expect there will be delays for patients who are waiting for an expert psychiatric opinion on their MAID request for mental illness, especially if a second specialist is required.