Minister hires assisted-dying critic

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould has hired a new legal affairs adviser who once argued that the Supreme Court overstepped its bounds when it struck down the ban on medically assisted dying.

Gregoire Webber is touted as a brilliant and highly respected legal scholar by fellow academics but his appointment has nevertheless raised some eyebrows given his past criticism of last year’s landmark decision.

Shanaaz Gokool, president of Dying with Dignity Canada, says it raises another flag about the kind of advice Wilson-Raybould is relying upon when it comes to crafting laws governing the right of Canadians to seek medical help to end intolerable suffering.

Even before Webber’s recent appointment, advocates of a permissive approach to assisted dying had complained that Wilson-Raybould was relying too heavily on advice from Justice Department officials who had spent years arguing in court against legalization of medically assisted death.

The minister introduced a restrictive new law last spring that allows assisted dying only for adults who are already near death.

The new law was enacted in June but it already faces legal challenges and, within a year, Wilson-Raybould will have to deal with issues that weren’t addressed in the legislation: advance directives, mature minors, people suffering solely from mental illness.