Feds launch promised review of issues left out of assisted dying law
OTTAWA — The federal government has initiated the promised review of its restrictive new law on medically assisted dying to determine if it should be expanded to include Canadians suffering strictly from mental illnesses, mature minors and those with competence eroding conditions who want to make advance requests.
It announced Tuesday that it has engaged the Council of Canadian Academies to conduct independent reviews on each group and report back by December 2018.
However, Dying with Dignity Canada expressed alarm that the council is to report only a summary of its findings, with no specific policy recommendations. The advocacy group’s CEO, Shanaaz Gokool, said that suggests the federal government has no intention of expanding the law.
“Our supporters were looking to Ottawa to encourage a ‘can-do’ approach to respecting Canadians’ right to assisted dying,” Gokool said in a statement.