Harper government being pulled into assisted suicide debate

The Harper government's strategy on divsive issues — like the constitution, like abortion and like euthanasia — has been the ostrich strategy: it appears they hide their heads in the sand hoping it goes away.

On doctor assisted suicide, they might not be able to get away with it.

Last week, Quebec became the first province in the country to adopt right-to-die legislation.

Bill 52, An Act respecting end-of-life care, allows for a terminally ill adult patient to request continuous palliative sedation that would lead to death. The patient must be of sound mind and must repeatedly ask a doctor to end their lives on the basis of unbearable physical or psychological pain.

While Quebec lawmakers, contend that they have the legal jurisdiction to legislate in matters of health, there is some question with regard to whether the Harper government will intervene. Under Canada's Criminal Code, assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal.

[ Related: Quebec passes landmark end-of-life-care bill ]

On Tuesday, Justice Minister Peter MacKay reaffirmed that his government has no intention of changing the current laws.

"It’s certainly not our intention as a Parliament, as a federal government to reopen the debate," he said, according to the Toronto Star.

They, however, might not have a choice.

The Bloc Quebecois is now openly challenging the Feds to stay out of it.

According to Le Devoir, Bloc MP Jean-François Fortin told a press conference on Tuesday that his party intends to put forward a motion to "reaffirm the exclusive right of Quebec to legislate on health" as a safeguard against any legal challenges by anybody.

Moreover, Conservative MP Stephen Fletcher has put forward two private members bills — Bill C-581 and Bill C-582 — that would respectively de-criminalize physician assisted suicide and create a Commission "to produce public information on physician-assisted death and to support law and policy reform."

There's also the B.C. Civil Liberties Association appeal, to the Supreme Court of Canada, that will argue that existing laws denying Canadians the right to doctor-assisted suicide are unconstitutional.

The Bloc's warning also comes upon the release of the Canadian Medical Association's report on end-of-life care in Canada.

After five townhall meetings and consultations with doctors, the CMA has deduced that most Canadians want improved Palliative care services and that they want a national discussion — with government taking a leadership roll — on doctor assisted suicide.

"What we heard in spades was that the public is eager to learn more about end-of-life care and to use that knowledge to inform discussions and decisions with their loved ones about their own wishes," CMA President, Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti said.

At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Francescutti added that he expects this to be an issue at the ballot box in 2015.

"Canadian voters overwhelmingly are expecting in the next federal election that end-of-life and seniors care are going to be issues," he told reporters.

"And if its not an issue within the party that they're currently supporting, 60 per cent of them said that they would switch parties."

Like it or not, this is an issue that the Harper government is going to have to deal with.

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