MP supports assisted death law
No applications to court system yet for doctor-assisted suicide in the territory
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The territory's Liberal representative in Ottawa says he'll support his party's doctor-assisted death law when it comes to a vote.
The vote in parliament won't be whipped, meaning individual MPs can vote based on their beliefs instead of voting along party lines.
Michael McLeod told Yellowknifer in a recent interview he supports the legislation as it is written but still wants to see a greater focus on palliative care and increased funding for health services.
He said it's a complex topic he struggled with and that he had to think of it as though he or a family member was suffering intolerable pain.
"I really had to do a lot of soul searching on this issue," McLeod said.
The Liberals brought in the legislation two weeks ago in response to a ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2015 that struck down the ban on assisted death for adults with grievous and intolerable suffering. The legislation restricts assisted death to competent adults who have serious and incurable illness, disease or disability.
"I think that's as far as we should go for the time being," McLeod said.
A parliamentary committee had recommended the law allow assisted death for "mature minors," the mentally ill and those suffering a degenerative illness who want to provide consent in advance.
The law introduced doesn't include any of those, and limits assisted death to Canadians to prevent so-called medical tourism.
The law sets out that parliament is to review the law every five years. The law must still move through parliament and the senate before coming into effect. McLeod isn't the only one focusing on the importance of palliative care, which is care provided to patients with life threatening illnesses that focuses on relief of symptoms, pain and physical stress.
Earlier this month Dr. Amy Hendricks spoke at the Catholic Women's League 52nd annual Mackenzie Fort Smith Diocesan Convention in the city about the difference between assisted death and euthanasia, according to those who attended the event.
Theresa Hickey, a past president of the league, wrote in an e-mail to Yellowknifer that she learned a lot from the presentation and urged people to write letters to governments to pressure them to increase funding for palliative care, as well as fundraise for facilities offering the service.
Hickey pointed to another issue she feels is important: that doctors opposed to assisted death shouldn't be forced to refer patients to other doctors.
"The government must protect the conscience rights for medical professionals," Hickey wrote.
The presentation to the convention follows an earlier joint letter penned by two bishops representing diocese in the North with the Catholic and Anglican churches earlier this year. In it, the bishops stated they oppose assisted death and urged greater emphasis on palliative care. While the federal government's law moves ahead, the territorial government is preparing its own framework for how to implement assisted death. The federal law deals with amendments to the Criminal Code and other laws while provincial and territorial governments are responsible for delivery of health care.
The GNWT had sought feedback on the issue earlier this year and received 30 responses from the public, professional associations and aboriginal governments, according to Health and Social Services department spokesperson Damien Healy.
The department plans to further discuss the issue in May with aboriginal governments "so that we can better understand concerns and perspectives," Healy wrote.
The territorial government plans to use the responses to develop guidelines that are set to be in place by June 6 when assisted death becomes legal.
"These guidelines will work within the parameters established by the federal government's proposed amendments to the Criminal Code and will ensure that assisted dying is provided in a safe and caring manner for both the patient and the health care provider until legislation is in place," he wrote.
He added the government plans to then have laws in place later this year or early 2017. The Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that in the period prior to June 6, those seeking an assisted death must apply to provincial or territorial courts.
In that time, Healy said the health department will rely on the courts to provide guidance on the assisted death of the person who applies. No such applications for assisted death have been made in the NWT as of last week, according to Department of Justice spokesperson Sue Glowach.
