MP’s points on assisted dying questioned

LETTERS

I commend the MP for Lethbridge, Rachael Harder, for hosting a Community Conversation on Physician Assisted Dying last month and I appreciate her column to the Lethbridge Herald of March 4.

However, I fail to understand this comment in her column: “The report (of the Parliamentary Committee on Physician Assisted Dying) ignores the need for access to increased palliative care.” In fact, Recommendation #19 of the report specifically deals with the question of palliative care. It reads: “That Health Canada re-establish a Secretariat on Palliative and End-of- Life Care; and that Health Canada work with the provinces and territories and civil society to develop a flexible, integrated model of palliative care by implementing a panCanadian palliative and end-of-life strategy with dedicated funding, and developing a public awareness campaign on the topic.” What more would Ms. Harder want to see as a recommendation?

On the question of mental illness, the parliamentary committee’s report contains a detailed discussion of the difficulties of assessing the competency of individuals with mental illness and their access to PAD and its Recommendation #3 states “That individuals not be excluded from eligibility for medical assistance in dying based on the fact that they have a psychiatric condition.” I fail to understand how Ms. Harder can write in her column: “I am particularly concerned about allowing those with a mental illness to use their mental illness as a qualifying factor to access PAD.” She seems to have misunderstood that part of the report, too.

Another point in Ms. Harder’s column that needs clarification is this: “I believe the recommendations of the committee, if followed, will put vulnerable Canadians, including seniors and those with disabilities, at significant risk.” This is a blanket condemnation of all 21 recommendations made by the parliamentary committee, which I find to be corrosive rather than constructive. For example, Recommendation #21 states: “That Health Canada work with the provinces to develop a pan-Canadian strategy to improve the quality of care and services received by individuals living with dementia, as well as their families.”

How, Ms. Harder, does that recommendation put vulnerable Canadians at risk?

John Warren

Lethbridge