Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I indicated that 60% of our funding comes from the provincial government and 40% of our funding must be fundraised, so that's about $1.5 million and it's growing every year. When we talk about accessible, high-quality care, we need to look at funding for hospices. In terms of ca

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Individuals who request MAID in our care at The Dorothy Ley Hospice have received high-quality palliative care. However, as I said earlier, they are choosing MAID for a reason, whether it's because they don't want their family to watch them die and suffer in that way or because i

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I don't have data, but I do have anecdotal data. From understanding the high-quality palliative care that our organization delivers, I can certainly say that they are making the choice because it is something they want. I would say, though, in my experience as a nurse in pallia

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  In terms of our funding, 60% of our funding is from the provincial government and 40% must be fundraised, so that's about $1.5 million a year. That's a significant strain on us, and it's growing every year because operating costs are growing. When you talk about accessible, high-

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you so much, Mr. Maloney, for highlighting that. Since 2016, we've seen a substantial change. We've just completed a review of not only our palliative care physicians but all of our staff in terms of their perceptions and thoughts about MAID. About 70% of our physicians ha

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Absolutely. It's just one option; it's not a substitute for all the other palliative care options that exist. In our experience working with individuals who are thinking about or requesting MAID, it is an informed choice and informed decision they're making. What our palliative

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I would like to continue. Thank you again for the opportunity. My name is Dipti Purbhoo and I'm the executive director of The Dorothy Ley Hospice. I'm a nurse by background with over 25 years of experience in palliative and community care. Palliative care is an approach to car

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  What we have heard is that people choose MAID because they don't want to be a burden to their family. They don't want to suffer and die alone. They don't want to die in a hospital. They're worried about getting care at home, or they want control over how they die. We have had ma

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Good evening. I'm so sorry. I'm trying to turn my camera on, but we've been having some technical difficulties here. I don't think my camera is going to turn on. Is it okay if I continue my talk without the camera?

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Okay. I have Donna Cansfield here, who is the chair of the board of directors at The Dorothy Ley Hospice. I'm going to ask her to start.