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House Hansard - 277

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 7, 2024 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 277 - Feb/7/24
Hon. Ya'ara Saks
  • Feb/7/24 5:28:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will acknowledge that there are many different opinions that have been shared on this view by many different experts. As a matter of fact, some of the members of the special joint committee are going to be participating in the debate we are having tonight. We have to clear that this is not a matter of “if”. We are debating “when”. It has been recognized, and it is not up for debate, that a person suffering from mental illness, when it is irremediable, continued and impacting the quality of life of the individual, has the right and the dignity to make choices with their health practitioners. The expert panel noted that there were differing opinions on this and concerns, but when we are debating this tonight, it is not about arrogance. It is about having compassion and understanding the right to an individual's choice and dignity when they have deep, prolonged and ongoing suffering.
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Context: House Hansard - 277 - Feb/7/24
Hon. Ya'ara Saks
  • Feb/7/24 5:31:35 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, this is why we have put a set timeline on this. We took the expert panel recommendations. There were 19 recommendations in that report, which included system readiness and a comprehensive set of modules for MAID assessors across the country to be able to do this work safely and compassionately. That is the work that we have done on implementation. Eleven hundred practitioners, including physicians and nurse practitioners, have participated in these training modules, but we have also been working with regulatory bodies. We want to make sure that there is quality and a standard of care across the country that sees people in their suffering, especially when they are vulnerable, and especially when mental illness as a disorder has caused such suffering and such harm over the years and over a prolonged period of time. We are very sensitive to the concerns of the member, and we are setting clear guardrails on the timelines for this.
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