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Francis Scarpaleggia

Member of Parliament
Liberal

Lac-Saint-Louis
Quebec
Voting Attendance: 67%
Expenses Last Quarter: $123,581.21

Government Page

Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

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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Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

Mr. Francis Scarpaleggia (Lac-Saint-Louis, Lib.)

Feb/15/24 1:08:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in issues like this, there is always this tension between the right of the individual and the impacts that individual has on the “culture”, for lack of a better word, and on others in the society when exercising that right. This was brought up by one of the psychiatrists who appeared before the committee when he said that one of the concerns he has with MDSUMC is a possible contagion effect. I do not know if courts would actually consider this because it is so difficult to prove. Anyway, it is just something I think about a lot, and I wonder whether the member has any thoughts on that.

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Context: House Hansard - 281 - Feb/13/24

Mr. Francis Scarpaleggia

Feb/13/24 12:06:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, in fact, I do not know how to answer that question. We have seen that there is a subjective element. There are some who believe they would make the right call. I guess that confidence is at the root of the perspective they bring to the issue. I am not a medical doctor, much less a psychiatrist, so again, I do not have a definitive answer for the member.

71 words

Context: House Hansard - 281 - Feb/13/24

Mr. Francis Scarpaleggia

Feb/13/24 11:58:45 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not have a crystal ball. I do not have a monopoly on the truth. As I said in my speech, I am not blessed by absolutism. I am torn by this issue as much as I think anyone in this House is. Even if we hide behind the certainties we put up as political parties, we still question ourselves and we are still torn by this issue. I do not know if we will ever be ready. What I was trying to do in my speech was to point out some of the things we have not done to be ready. Maybe we will never be ready. I am not a psychiatrist. I do understand psychiatric suffering can be as severe as physical suffering, and I do feel for the people, especially John Scully, who I have heard from in testimony in a small working group. I feel for him and what he is living through. To be honest, I do not have the answer.

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Member of Parliament

Francis Scarpaleggia