Medical assistance in dying : Report of the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying

Kelvin Kenneth Ogilvie and Robert Oliphant Joint Chairs FEBRUARY 2016 42nd PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION Published under the authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons SPEAKER’S PERMISSION Reproduction of the proceedings of the House of Commons and its Committees, in whole or in part and in any medium, is hereby permitted provided that the reproduction is accurate and is not presented as official. [...] The Court found that the prohibition infringed the claimants’ rights under section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.4 The Court noted that “[i]t is for Parliament and the provincial legislatures to respond, should they so choose, by enacting legislation consistent with the constitutional parameters set out in these reasons.”5 While the issue of medical assistance in dying (MAID)6 i [...] The Committee emphasizes the need “to recognize the value of Aboriginal healing practices and use them in the treatment of Aboriginal patients in collaboration with Aboriginal healers and Elders where requested by Aboriginal patients” as recommended in the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.12 In addition, there was an overwhelming consensus among witnesses that pall [...] For an activity to fall under the criminal law, it must be found that there is an evil to be suppressed or prevented and that the pith and substance of the provisions in issue is the suppression of that evil or the elimination of that reasoned risk of harm. [...] For example, the province has jurisdiction over most hospitals and health care services, the practice of medicine, the training of health professionals and the regulation of the medical profession, hospital and health insurance, and occupational health.