January 2020:

1. We support the removal of “reasonably foreseeable natural death” as an inclusion criterion for MAID. We see no need for additional eligibility criteria or procedural safeguards to be added to the legislation. If further legislated safeguards are considered necessary to protect vulnerable populations, we submit that such safeguards must not compromise patient autonomy.

2. We support removing the requirement for independent witnesses to the assessment of a patient’s eligibility by a regulated health professional. In our experience, the requirement compromises or complicates access, and infringes on a patient’s right to privacy and confidentiality.

3. We support the inclusion of language that allows for the delivery of MAID to a patient who has lost capacity after having been found eligible and provided consent to receive MAID.

4. We propose that the broader question of advance directives or advance requests for patients who have not as yet been found to be eligible for MAID be tabled for further consultation in a timely manner.

5. We support the adoption of specific language in the Act to make clear that informing patients of the availability of MAID is not considered counselling for MAID.

6. We support clarifying the legislation in a manner that expressly permits patients to consent to either or both modes of administration, enabling clinicians to intervene should a patient’s attempt at self-administration not be successful.

In addition, FMRAC strongly believes we must all acknowledge that it is important that all Canadians have access to palliative and end-of-life care; currently, this aspect of health care is significantly under-resourced.