Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. MAID is a complicated and deeply personal subject. Every individual has his or her own history. Requesting MAID is a serious decision.

As you know, colleague, the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying has reconvened to examine these issues and is continuing its work today. I look forward to its report.

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Senator Gold, in 2022, the number of Canadians who were authorized to receive medical assistance in dying, or MAID, increased by 31%. In Quebec, there was a 46% increase. In a Globe and Mail editorial published last week, we learned that Quebec, sadly, is the MAID world champion. Unsurprisingly, the chair of Quebec’s commission on end-of-life care is worried about borderline or non-compliant cases.

In that context, expanding MAID to include mental illness raises many questions. In its editorial, The Globe and Mail wondered if, considering the statistics and justifications, some requests for MAID were granted only because the applicants were old.

Senator Gold, is the government aware of the problem? Will it tighten some of the criteria, which are much too vague?