This afternoon, the Other Place passed Bill C-7, with changes as suggested by the Senate, including a 24 month sunset clause on the prohibition of MAID for those suffering solely from a psychiatric condition. Here is my own Senate speech on this point:
Let us be crystal clear. This would not mean that people suffering from suicidal ideation or transient depression would be offered medical aid in dying. Nor would MAID be available to anyone who was delusional or lacked capacity to consent.
There are all kinds of psychiatric conditions that are not depression. And you can be “mentally ill” and still have clear legal capacity to make your own medical decisions. Each patient would need to be accessed individually and with great clinical care.
It won’t be easy to get this right. But the majority of Senators recognized that an outright ban was likely unconstitutional and would likely not survive a court Charter challenge.
I am intensely proud of the work the Senate did on C-7, as we fulfilled our core constitutional duty to defend the Charter rights of all Canadians. When the bill returns to the Senate next week, we will continue to play our role.
And please - I invite you to watch/listen to my speech on C-7, in the tweet at the top of this thread, if you want to know more about my own reasons for supporting this sunset clause.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
