Arnold Viersen

“Mr. Speaker, in his speech, my colleague described medical assistance in dying as radical. He used the term “government-assisted dying” rather than the correct term, “medical assistance in dying”. He described Canada as a pariah when it comes to our current policy. I think that sort of language is detrimental to the quality of the debate we are having this evening and fails to reflect the seriousness of the issues being discussed. I would like to remind him that a recent Environics Research survey found that 85% of Canadians support medical assistance in dying, so there is a broad consensus. It is not a matter of course. It is about giving people a choice regarding their end-of-life care. Throughout these debates, we have heard moving testimony from people who came forward to express their desire for us to respect their will. I would like to hear what my colleague has to say to these people who are asking us to respect their desire to have access to MAID.”