Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Canadians Are Parting Company With Their Federal Government


The Trudeau government's clumsy, ham-fisted approach to the assisted dying bill seems to be driving a wedge between the government and the public.

A recent poll showed that the public don't want Trudeau's narrowed bill. A strong majority want a Carter-compliant law including one that will give them, should their time come, the right to advanced directives on end of life issues.

Read the comments on any assisted death story. The responses are as powerful as they are uniform - the public is enraged that this government would put itself above the law. Justice minister Jody doesn't seem to have convinced anyone, perhaps except the prime minister himself.

What's also emerging is a renewed fondness for the Senate. Canadians seem to like the idea of the Senate doing what they imagined its job was - to provide sober second thought when the government goes too far or not far enough.

5 comments:

Northern PoV said...

Well the Senate just backed down. They might have gone looking for some real world experience and context...............

.....looking elsewhere... current Dutch law has some critics:
Law, ethics and medicine
The unfeasibility of requests for euthanasia in advance directives
J J M van Delden

and btw...
"No cases of euthanasia based on a dementia advance directive
have yet been reported to the regional review committees
or the public prosecutor."
and
"Conclusion: Advance directives for euthanasia are never adhered to in the Netherlands in the case of people with advanced dementia, and their role in advance care planning and end-of-life care of people with advanced dementia is limited. Communication with the patient is essential for elderly care physicians to consider adherence to an advance directive for euthanasia of a person with dementia."

Oh ... and from Oregon
"CAN MY FAMILY MEMBER OR A PROXY REQUEST PARTICIPATION IN MEDICAL AID IN DYING ON MY BEHALF (FOR EXAMPLE, IF I AM IN A COMA OR SUFFER FROM ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE OR DEMENTIA)?

No. The law requires that you ask to participate voluntarily on your own behalf and meet all the eligibility criteria at the time of your request.

CAN PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED DEATH LAWS BE USED WITH ADVANCE DIRECTIVES?

Advance Directives are legal documents that describe what you as a dying person want done (or not done) medically if you can no longer communicate. The aid in dying laws cannot be used under Advance Directives because you would no longer be of sound mind when the advance directives kick in."

Legislators should not be stenographers for the courts.

breathe

The Mound of Sound said...

Who said legislators should be stenographers for the courts. All we ask is that they realize they're not above the law.

Don't worry. There have already been several cases in which the Liberal policy has been rejected in our courts all the way up to the Alberta Court of Appeal level.

That's what's called the Rule of Law, NPoV. You'll just have to learn to live with it. We like to think of it as democracy.

The Mound of Sound said...

By the way, NPoV, I might appreciate your confusion between stenography and democracy if you could explain why the Trudeau government won't simply take its legislation on a reference to the Supreme Court? Easy peasy. They say it's "Charter proof." Piece of cake then to take it on reference.

Why a reference? Because the courts of Canada are already solidly behind the Carter decision. It makes no difference what justice minister Jody says or what statute Trudeau's caucus approves if it's only going to be turfed as unconstitutional by our courts. A reference can quickly clarify the situation and provide guidance to the courts if the Trudeau government isn't just conning us.

Ball's in your court.

Northern PoV said...

So, avoid addressing my actual points in your echo chamber. Enjoy.

The Mound of Sound said...


I told you that all your points could be answered on a constitutional reference. You're the one ducking that fundamental question.

What's your deal, NPoV. Is it religious or ideological?