SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 161 - Feb/15/23

Feb/15/23 4:29:40 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-39

Mr. Speaker, one of our concerns right from the beginning was the slippery slope of how this could move forward if the proper safeguards were not put in place. I would say, the majority of mental health issues can be healed, fixed and treated, and when the first forum came out in terms of what they were doing, they looked at the imminent death of an individual. However, I realize that by adding more and more categories to this, we would get on a very slippery slope. For those who are treatable, we believe they should receive treatment and not death.

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Context: House Hansard - 161 - Feb/15/23

Mr. Luc Thériault (Montcalm, BQ)

Feb/15/23 6:07:45 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-39

Madam Speaker, I invite my colleague to read the expert report, which clearly states that, when treatment exists, people are not automatically eligible for medical assistance in dying just because the treatment is hard to get. That is the shortcut the Conservatives have been taking since the start of this debate. Just because a person with depression asks for MAID does not necessarily mean they will get it. Just because someone somewhere is considering MAID because they are depressed does not mean they will have access to it. That is what they do not understand. There are assessors, providers, professionals whose job is to provide care for people whose condition is reversible. Is anyone here going to suggest that depression is irreversible? Our colleagues talked about the experiences of people who attempted suicide. In every case, the condition was reversible. In fact, some Conservative members even talked about their own experience. They are here to tell the tale. We have to see things clearly. There are 16 key recommendations that are worth reading. I invite them to read the report.

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Context: House Hansard - 161 - Feb/15/23

Mr. Peter Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby, NDP)

Feb/15/23 8:04:14 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-39

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. He is right, there are service gaps. People with mental health issues may be unable to access what services there are. This is a huge problem. The government has not put any resources into it. This evening, we learned that, when people seek access to psilocybin, a therapy that makes a difference for them, the government and Health Canada are not responding to those requests in due time. Here is my question for my colleague. Why does the government seem unwilling to take mental health issues as seriously as they deserve to be taken? Why is the government dragging its feet on approval for a therapy like psilocybin? Why is it so slow to follow its own guide on the importance of authorizing this kind of treatment?

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Context: House Hansard - 161 - Feb/15/23

Mr. Jacques Gourde

Feb/15/23 8:07:10 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-39

Madam Speaker, I find my colleague's questions very interesting. In Quebec, once a patient enters the system and has access to psychiatrists and health care, the results are relatively good. However, the unfortunate part is that there are not nearly enough staff, people and psychiatrists for the number of cases that exist. Wait times to access this type of service can be six months, even a year or a year and a half, depending on the severity of the case. This unfortunately means that there are some people who, while waiting for treatment, may commit an irreparable act and leave this earth.

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