Assisted dying gap called ‘cruel and unjust’

The absence of an advance request in the section of the Criminal Code that allows assisted dying is being described by Svend Robinson as “cruel and unjust.”

Robinson, who will be running later this year as an NDP candidate in the federal riding of Burnaby North- Seymour, called on Ottawa to change the law and add advance requests before the next federal election to honour the memory of Sue Rodriguez, the Saanich woman who rose to national fame during her fight for assisted suicide.

An advanced request is defined as a competent person making a request to die later when they lose the ability to make medical decisions for themselves.

Robinson spoke at a news conference Tuesday on the 25th anniversary of Rodriguez’s death.

“It is totally unacceptable that this Liberal legislation denies people the right to make advance requests,” Robinson said.

“If I’m not able to consent myself, I should be able to give that consent in advance. Someone I love and trust should be able to make that request on my behalf.

“It is not only cruel and unjust. In my respectful view and the view of many constitutional scholars, it is illegal and unconstitutional.”

On June 17, 2016, the federal government amended a section of the Criminal Code to allow assisted suicides.

Called Medical Assistance in Dying (Bill C-14), the law requires that a person have a grievous and irremediable medical condition, be 18 years of age or older, and give informed consent both when initially requesting a doctor-assisted death and just before receiving the medical help necessary to cause death.