44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 15, 2024 10:00AM
- Feb/15/24 1:41:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are about 32 days away from a legal deadline that was arbitrarily thrown at us by the unelected, unaccountable Senate, forcing us to allow people who are depressed, people who are isolated and alone, to die through medical assistance in dying. Now my colleagues are saying to give them a couple of years and they will make it all work.
What I found profoundly disturbing was that my colleague said they would support this. They figure that if they have another year or two, if they can meet just a few more people and just tick all the boxes at consultation, then people who are depressed and alone should be allowed to die. I find that an appalling position of the government. The government put us in this position through its cavalier approach to MAID, and its refusal to look at the issues and hear that this is really not a road we want to go down, that this is a line in the sand with respect to the human community.
If the member thinks that in three years she will have consulted enough people, but, at the end of the day, she will support people dying because they have no support, then the government has very poor vision and it needs to explain that to the Canadian people.
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- Feb/15/24 1:42:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think consultation is simply checking boxes. It is extremely important, particularly when we are talking about our vulnerable and about our medical system.
As I mentioned, I have personally consulted with psychiatrists in Hamilton. These people study and work at some of the best institutions in Canada. They are the experts. They have told me that, while the idea behind MAID for mental illness is a sound one, we are just not ready yet. We need to have all the proper safeguards in place before we move forward with this legislation. I think that is fair and I think it is reasonable.
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Mr. Speaker, I am rising for the second time this week to speak to this issue. As I said at the beginning of my speech at second reading, I was so interested in this issue that I offered to sit on the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying when it dealt with the question of mental illness. I felt it was my duty to take part in a debate that is so important for our society. This is a crucial and extremely complex social debate. As a legislator, I wanted to learn more about this hot-button public policy issue that is so important to my constituents. Many of them have written to me about this.
I attended much of the debate on the issue this week, and I was very impressed by the tone. It is true that emotions can sometimes get the better of us, but that is to be expected when we are debating such a crucial matter, a matter of life and death. I must say that I was impressed that the debate was conducted in a respectful manner. That is impressive, and we should adopt that same tone when we discuss the many other issues addressed here in the House.
I heard arguments that I do not want to call fallacious, because that is a pejorative term and I do not want to criticize anyone, but let us just say that I heard a few contradictions during certain speeches.
First, someone claimed that we could have simply amended Bill C-62 to include advance requests. I do not think we are ready to make a hasty amendment to open the door to something as complex—if not more—as medical assistance in dying, namely, medical assistance in dying for persons with a mental illness. It took much effort, much debate, much discussion and several committee meetings for us to be able to talk about medical assistance in dying for patients with a mental illness.
Moreover, the idea that we can move an amendment in committee is wrong, because such an amendment would certainly be ruled out of order, since the scope of the bill is not that broad. The bill deals with a specific question, namely, medical assistance in dying for persons with a mental illness.
People claim we are taking too much time to debate this issue, that it has already been three years and that we should end the debate. We are not talking about policies like affordability or the need to build housing as quickly as possible. We are talking about something very serious. We really are going beyond the more practical issues, and I think it will take the time it takes because there is no consensus among the experts. If there is no consensus, we cannot force the issue, suddenly demand consensus and insist we move forward because time is running out. The issue of how long it will take to reach a good conclusion is unfortunately not a problem for me.
As I was saying, this is not simply a technical medical issue, it is a moral and ethical issue for society, certainly.
The matter of caution was also raised. Some claim that the government is too cautious, too timid, on this issue, that it is not acting as quickly as people would like, that it has not addressed the issue fast enough or lacks political will. It does in fact lack political will because there are too many uncertainties. In this case, it is not a bad thing to lack political will in order to forge ahead as soon as possible.
However, on this idea of being too cautious, I would say that this is true even for the Bloc Québécois, because it has accepted the framework we have established. For the moment, we are not implementing this framework. Nevertheless, under the framework, not everyone who requests medical assistance in dying on the grounds of a mental illness will receive it. We are talking about a mere 5% acceptance rate. Even if we went ahead, we would do so with a lot of caution, given the 95% of people who would request medical assistance in dying on those grounds.
We should then not talk as if caution were not an issue. Caution is an issue, even if we agree to move forward. I would like to ask my colleagues who keep disparaging the government for its caution whether it would be too cautious to require that, in these cases, a psychiatrist be involved in assessing the person's request. Right now, it is not necessary for a psychiatrist to be involved in the assessment. In the Netherlands, where medical assistance in dying is legal, a psychiatrist must give an opinion on the request. There is caution built into the process, but it is not unreasonable. I would say that my colleagues in the Bloc Québécois agree that some caution is required.
There is also talk about freedom. Some say that this is a matter of freedom, as if they were talking about absolute freedom. It is not a matter of absolute freedom, because 95% of those requesting medical assistance in dying would not have access to it on the grounds of a mental illness. We need to make things clear and add nuance to this debate to avoid giving the impression we are talking about absolute concepts.
Then they bring up the issue of the Quebec nation. I listened carefully to my friend, the hon. member from Joliette, with whom I enjoyed working on election reform. He is a seasoned parliamentarian who makes excellent speeches in the House. He said that there were many nations in Canada. Indeed, there is the Quebec nation, but there are also indigenous nations. There are indigenous nations within the Quebec nation as well. What I understand is that indigenous nations are not too keen to move this issue forward at this time. They say that they have not been consulted enough. They have concerns about the systemic racism that exists in health care systems across the country. Among other things, they are afraid that not enough thought will be put into processing the requests.
We should not focus too much on the idea of community when it comes to medical assistance in dying. When people get to that point, when they are on their death bed, I do not think they dwell too much on the community. Each person is a soul facing infinity alone. That is why we should not talk too much about nations when we are discussing medical assistance in dying. It is not a matter of being part of a community. I agree that it is a matter of individual rights. That is where it gets complicated, because we do not want people to suffer.
However, we do not want people to do things that have not been assessed with the utmost caution, because it is a matter of life and death.
I will stop here and await my colleagues' questions.
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- Feb/15/24 1:53:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, we are not talking about advance directives. That has already been settled. We are talking about advance requests.
Second of all, in my speech this morning—because this is a reply to the speech I made this morning—I never said that not enough work had been done. The Bloc Québécois's position is that one year is enough and that we will see after one year, immediately after royal assent, whether we can start to work on the mental illness issue.
The member should have sat on the committee from the get-go. He has been an MP from Quebec since 2015. It is a bit strange for him to be so uninformed on the issue of MAID.
Since June 2023, the government could have included advance requests in the bill, taking into consideration any recommendation of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying. We never said that not enough work had been done. We said that the government was dragging its feet when it comes to committee work. The Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying was always convened at the last minute.
Does the member think that three meetings on an issue such as this were enough?
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- Feb/15/24 1:55:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, indeed, I should have used the correct term, “advance requests”, instead of “advance directives”.
It seems to me that, during question period, the leader of the Bloc Québécois was just asking for an amendment to allow advance requests all of a sudden. Regardless of the government's timeline, I do not think the House is really ready to vote on this. Some members of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying may be.
However, as I told him earlier, this is not something as straightforward as the Standing Committee on Finance studying a budget. In that case, the members of a given party recommend that all their fellow party members vote in favour of it because they have studied it and the party trusts them. Everyone wants to make the right decision, so this requires a much more thorough debate.
As the member himself said, Quebec did not put medical assistance in dying due to mental disorders in its legislation. The member said it was because Quebec had not studied it at the time. If Quebec is so sure, it can amend its legislation to include it.
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- Feb/15/24 1:56:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am struck with how, during this debate, we have heard so much technical and bureaucratic language from the government. It masks what is fundamentally an ethical and moral issue, that is, the just way to treat the most vulnerable within our society. This discourse about maybe we are not ready or maybe we will be ready masks the more important underlying question of whether we should ever have the state involved in facilitating the suicide of those with mental health challenges. On this side of the House, we say a firm no, not now, not ever.
I want to ask the member if he is concerned about the dramatic growth in the rates of those opting for MAID in Canada, opting for it perhaps under pressure or in other circumstances. We have seen, since this practice started in Canada, dramatic increases every single year. Is the member concerned about that, or is he totally fine with this idea of exponential growth in the rates?
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- Feb/15/24 1:57:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about it. I do not know what it means and there is much disagreement as to what it means.
I would ask a question of the member, which I know he will not have to answer under the rules. Is he okay with track one MAID? A lot of the psychiatrists who went before the committee who were not in favour of MAID for mental disorders were in favour of track one and track two. I would like to know if the member accepts MAID under any circumstance or not at all.
It is an important ethical and moral decision, I agree, but no one in the House wants people to suffer needlessly, and I think we are all grappling with this on moral and technical grounds. It may not be possible, I cannot say, but we want to separate out suicidal ideation. We want to be able to separate out psychosocial factors as motivating factors for requesting MAID in cases of mental illness, and we are not there yet.
We want to study treatment fatigue to see, if somebody says they are done and cannot take it anymore, whether we can guide them to another treatment. We have looked at treatment fatigue when it comes to HIV and type 1 diabetes patients, but we have not looked at treatment fatigue when we talk about psychiatric illnesses.
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- Feb/15/24 1:59:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know that medical assistance in dying is a deeply personal issue that is very difficult.
I wonder if my hon. colleague could talk about the fact that we need to base this on principles of personal autonomy, dignity and choice.
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- Feb/15/24 1:59:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is a very difficult question.
We all believe in personal autonomy and choice. However, as I said in my speech two days ago, sometimes I think that is becoming a bit of an ideology, where we do not recognize that, yes, we are individuals with free will and free choice, but we are born into families and communities. We are influenced not only by the opportunities that families and communities afford us, but also by the constraints they impose upon us. In some cases, society imposes more hardship on some than others.
We do not seem to be able to separate out whether somebody is asking for medical assistance in dying because of the hardships that society has imposed on them, or whether it is really a clear-eyed decision. I am not a psychiatrist. I am not a doctor. I do not approach this with—
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- Feb/15/24 2:00:39 p.m.
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I hate to shut the hon. member down, but we are out of time.
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- Feb/15/24 2:00:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this year, CanNor celebrates 15 years of supporting job creation and economic growth in the territories.
Project by project, CanNor's support empowers innovators in our territories.
Because of CanNor, 12 indigenous businesswomen in Yukon were able to kick-start or grow their businesses through a microloan program.
Thanks to CanNor, the Sakku Investments Corporation, an Inuit business, can build homes throughout the year in Nunavut in its modular home plant.
Thanks to CanNor, businesses such as ColdAcre Food Systems and Sarah's Harvest were able to expand their operations to improve northern food security.
Thanks to CanNor, Makerspace YK was able to renovate a commercial space and turn it into a collaboration centre for Northwest Territories entrepreneurs.
Thanks to CanNor, community spaces such as the Yukon Theatre, Heart of Riverdale Community Centre and the Pine Lake trail in Haines Junction will receive upgrades for all Yukoners to enjoy.
The work of CanNor is leaving a lasting legacy in the north, but there is more to do and our government will continue to be there to support northern businesses and innovation.
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- Feb/15/24 2:01:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on February 17, the Republic of Kosovo celebrates its 16th year of independence.
Kosovo's path to independence was not easy. During its fight for freedom in 1999, tens of thousands of Kosovar Albanians were killed, and tens of thousands more became refugees. Their stories of tragedy and suffering are really hard to hear. However, the Republic of Kosovo has always had a friend in Canada. Canada was one of the first nations to recognize Kosovo's independence in 2008, and Canada welcomed over 7,000 Kosovar refugees into Canada, including my fiancée and her entire family.
Twenty-five years later, those former refugees have built lives here in Canada. They have enriched Canada with their culture, their hard work and their love of Canada. To all Kosovar Canadians, I say urime Dita e Pavarësisë.
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- Feb/15/24 2:03:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, PacifiCan plays a vital role in communities across British Columbia. It partnered with New Relationship Trust to work on the B.C. indigenous clean energy initiative and invest $4 million to support indigenous communities, create good and sustainable jobs, and move toward clean and reliable energy.
This investment is also supporting over 100 projects by providing an additional $140 million in collaboration with various partners. These projects have created over 1,000 jobs and have reduced emissions by more than 400,000 times. This shows the important work that the federal government is doing in B.C. by working with people, indigenous communities and local businesses. Together, we are creating lasting economic benefits while advancing reconciliation and fighting climate change. The role that PacifiCan plays in the economy of British Columbia is important, and it must continue to have our support.
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- Feb/15/24 2:03:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from February 12 to 16, we celebrate Hooked on School Days. This year marks the event's 20th anniversary.
As a former school principal, I greatly appreciate the continued efforts by teachers, support staff and everyone else who takes an active part in ensuring young people's academic success.
I want to pay tribute to the great work done by everyone who is involved in this amazing adventure that we call school.
I specifically want to highlight an initiative by the Centre de services scolaire des Mille-Îles, which is presenting the third annual Lumina awards. Fourteen members of the education community—teachers, employees, students, parent volunteers or partners—will be recognized through these awards.
This recognition is one of the many small gestures that celebrate the school system and encourage young people to stay hooked on school.
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- Feb/15/24 2:04:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government is investing in and strengthening the economic prosperity of today and tomorrow. As a proud northerner and a rural MP, I have travelled and experienced first hand the resilience, innovation and creativity of northern Ontario communities. I have seen innovation and new ways of exploring critical minerals extraction to help fuel our transition to a zero-carbon economy that respects the environment and includes indigenous communities in true partnership.
Last week, I was in Cobalt with the member for Nipissing—Timiskaming to highlight a historic $5-million investment from FedNor to Electro Battery, a company that will support building over 1.5 million electric vehicles in Ontario.
I visited some businesses that we supported, like breweries, restaurants and tourism operators. Their important contribution is helping boost the economies of small towns in northern Ontario, a great place to call home. I want to thank them for sharing their success stories and for contributing to northern Ontario's prosperous future.
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- Feb/15/24 2:06:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, I rise today in tribute to former conflict of interest and ethics commissioner Mary Dawson, who passed away on December 24, 2023.
Mary Dawson was not just the former ethics commissioner. Her fingerprints are all over very important parts of our history, including the drafting of the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Canada Health Act, the Official Languages Act, the Competition Act, the Customs Act and the Young Offenders Act.
She was made a member of the Queen's Counsel in 1978 and became associate chief legislative counsel in the early 1980s. Aside from being the associate deputy minister of justice for nearly two decades, she was particularly proud of her constitutional work, including being the final drafter for the patriation package on the Constitution Act, 1982, and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The job of a good conflict of interest and ethics commissioner is to make members of all the parties equally uncomfortable. She did her job well.
Mary Dawson was a remarkable person, and Canada has been well served by her contributions.
Our condolences go out to her family on the passing of a remarkable Canadian, Mary Dawson.
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- Feb/15/24 2:07:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy. The government is committed to making strategic investments through the My Main Street program so that local businesses and communities can thrive.
A concrete example of the success of this program can be found right here, in my riding of Ottawa—Vanier. The Vanier BIA, which represents 400 members, created the Vanier HUB by transforming a parking lot into a unique artistic space where the community can gather.
The Vanier HUB focuses on inclusive and integrated programming that draws arts, culture, sports and community engagement for under-represented communities. The funds allowed the HUB to grow its resources and resulted in more than 10,000 event attendees, creating a significant impact on Vanier businesses.
The good news is that the Vanier HUB received the Downtown Achievement Award from the International Downtown Association last fall in Chicago. I am proud to share that, very soon, businesses will be able to apply for funding through My Main Street 2.0.
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- Feb/15/24 2:08:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions is increasing the productivity and competitiveness of Quebec businesses.
Although the Conservatives voted against funding for programs that support Quebec businesses, our government is helping to grow Biodextris, a Vimy-based company advancing innovative drug research; BOSK Bioproducts, a manufacturer of compostable bioproducts; and Cintech agroalimentaire, an accelerator of sustainable development.
As we know, the future of our economy depends on the growth of our businesses.
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- Feb/15/24 2:09:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight long years of the Liberal-NDP government, Canadians are tired, ticked and overtaxed. The Liberals continue to fight to keep this punitive and ineffective carbon tax, which goes up again on April 1. In reality, they are fighting to keep grocery prices high and biting the hands that feed us. When we tax the farmer who grows the food and we tax the trucker who ships the food, we tax all Canadians who buy the food.
The cost-of-living crisis is fuelled by the government's overspending and its punitive taxes placed on Canadians, including our seniors who are struggling to make ends meet on their fixed incomes.
These high grocery prices, taxes and inflation are driving Canadians to food banks in record numbers. The use of food banks in my area alone is up year over year, with one food bank reporting triple the demand since the same time last year.
Enough is enough. Canadians need relief, and they need it now. Let the farmers farm, let the truckers truck, let the workers work and let Canadians get back on their feet again. It is time to axe the tax, and bring it home.
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- Feb/15/24 2:10:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, did you know that through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, or ACOA, our government has invested more than $2.6 billion in 14,000 projects since 2015?
Today I want to highlight the support to our francophone and Acadian communities. Over the past year, we have allocated more than $15 million to projects to strengthen the vitality of those communities. Our commitment goes beyond financial support; the ACOA actively participates in initiatives such as promoting francophone immigration, while continuing to promote our communities and helping them grow.
I am proud of my government for its commitment to the region and its support to our linguistic communities in eastern Canada.
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