Gifford-Jones says it’s time to call for the MAID

Why would I want to pay $1,500 to have a meeting with the federal Minister of Health?

It’s because of the old saying, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

High-profile people gain access to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by paying $1,500. I’m sure this fee isn’t just to talk about the weather.

So why can’t I make a similar offer to the MOH? And also pay a similar amount to the Minister of Justice (MOJ)?

Due to my Scottish heritage, spending money this way isn’t an easy decision.

But I hate to see taxpayer waste and political hypocrisy.

I’ve already asked to interview the MOH. I was advised she’s too busy. So why is it so important to me to meet her?

Today, health officials spend millions of dollars of taxpayer money to open more injection sites for addicts. I believe this to be a horrendous blunder. It’s also hypocrisy that addicts, who usually cause their own destruction, are getting more attention and priority than those who face agonizing death, due to no fault of their own.

While you’re reading this column, terminally ill patients in agony are being denied Medical Aid in Death (MAID).

Some hospitals, funded by taxpayers, refuse to provide this now legal humanitarian act. Surely since the the MOH is a physician, she must be aware of human suffering in the last hours of life.

I’d gladly pay another $1,500 to meet the MOJ. After all, the current opioid epidemic is a double-edged sword involving both ministries.

It’s a major cancer in our society that if left unchecked will have huge financial and societal costs.

This epidemic has been years in the making in North America. And politicians and do-gooders are creating a multi-million dollar bureaucracy to take on the continuing care of tens of thousands of addicts. It’s like throwing a rug over a roaring fire hoping it will burn out. It won’t happen.

So is there a solution? Of course there’s one, but you need intestinal fortitude to carry it out.

Several years ago, I flew to Singapore. Prior to landing, I was given a small card with a message. It read, “Death to Drug Traffickers under Singapore Law.”

Lee Kuan Yew, prime minister of Singapore, knew there was no point in showing your teeth if you were not prepared to bite. His big bite was to hang illicit drug traffickers. They quickly got his message.

I find it interesting that in all the hue and cry from politicians and law enforcement agencies about opioid addiction, no one has recommended a similar sentence for drug pushers. Ones who often sell their deadly illegal drugs in full sight of authorities.

I’ve also never forgotten the two words that Singapore officials used about North American society. They accused it of being “irresponsibly permissive.” They got it right.

So when I offer $1,500 to the MOH and the MOJ, you know exactly why I want a meeting. It won’t be about the weather, or for personal gain.

Rather, to remind the MOH that the Supreme Court of Canada has already ruled that dying patients have the legal right to seek MAID.

And that as MOH, she should ensure that all those who wish it, have access to it. And that hospitals that close their doors to MAID patients should lose public funding.

Will I lose my money? Hell will freeze over before either minister will let me in the door. Will drug traffickers in Canada have to worry about being hanged? Not a chance. In North America there is no Lee Kuan Yew. And our society will suffer severe and long-lasting consequences because of it.

I wish I had a more optimistic outlook, but unless politicians take a firm stand on those who push illegal drugs, we will see a medical tsunami that bodes ill for our country.

So what do readers think? I’ll publish your remarks.