(Ottawa) The federal government is pausing plans to make medically assisted dying available to people whose only medical problem is mental illness – and Health Minister Mark Holland is giving no hint on a new schedule.
The country is not yet ready to take such an important step, Holland admitted on Monday, agreeing with the findings of a joint parliamentary committee which published its final report earlier in the day.
That committee, which met again last year to determine whether health professionals were prepared, concluded that fundamental questions around the controversial expansion have not yet been resolved.
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Health Minister Mark Holland
While assisted dying practitioners, medical professionals and regulators have done considerable groundwork, the committee heard “significant testimony” from stakeholders that the system was not yet ready.
The report indicates that many practitioners remain concerned, particularly regarding the challenges of assessing the irremediable aspect of mental illness.
Important questions also remain about how evaluators would be able to differentiate between someone requesting assistance in dying and someone having suicidal thoughts.
Senators and MPs on the commission also heard “conflicting” testimony, says the report, which also recommends that the commission resume its work one year before the next deadline.
How to ensure compliance with the conditions?
The government will soon introduce legislation detailing its plans, Mark Holland said. This will have to happen before the expansion takes effect on March 17.
“We need more time,” he said. We will be able, in the coming days, to talk about the time we consider necessary. »
The Liberals already legislated a one-year delay last year, saying at the time that medical providers and provinces needed more time to prepare.
The government is very aware of the upcoming deadline, said Justice Minister Arif Virani.
Liberals still argue that a person who has experienced “decades” of torment and has exhausted all their treatment options should have the option of medical assistance in dying, Mr. Holland said.
But the government must ensure that this measure is “limited to these circumstances and that we have appropriate controls”, he added.
Minister Holland also highlighted concerns expressed by the governments of Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba about the planned expansion and the risks it could pose to people with mental illness.
The Liberals are under increasing pressure from the opposition to curb their expansion plans. Federal New Democrats first want to put in place more mental health supports.
The federal conservatives, for their part, are calling for its total abolition.
In a dissenting report, Conservative MPs and senators on the committee said it would be “reckless and dangerous” for the Liberals to allow the planned change to take place in March.
“Canada is not ready for this and, frankly, there is no evidence that it ever will be,” several MPs said in a statement.
“Justin Trudeau must immediately and definitively end the expansion (of medical assistance in dying) to people with mental illness. »
An impatiently awaited plan
Dying with Dignity, a national end-of-life care advocacy organization, called on the government to present its plan as soon as possible.
The necessary training and practice standards have been developed and, after three years of preparation by providers, the country is indeed ready to move forward, the group said in a statement.
Depriving people with mental illness of the opportunity to be assessed for assistance in dying amounts to a violation of their rights, he continues.
Three independent senators echoed this point in a dissenting opinion on the committee’s findings.
“Canadians suffering from mental illness should receive appropriate health care on a case-by-case basis,” reads the statement from Senators Stan Kutcher, Marie-Françoise Megie and Pamela Wallin.
“It also stigmatizes people with mental disorders, promoting the myth that people with mental disorders are incapable of making informed decisions about their end-of-life choices. »