Testimony to Government

This page (still under development) is dedicated to the public testimony that has NOT been heeded by the parliaments, courts, governments and committees over the years. Most recent evidence is featured up top, and older evidence is farther down. We will continue to add information at the top, middle and bottom as we’re able to document it.

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2022: AMAD (Special Joint Committee)
Statutory Review – Medical Assistance in Dying

Note: This Committee’s Final Report was issued on February 15, 2023.

Below is a video made by Inclusion Canada showing the disrespect and contempt shown to members of the disability rights communities as they presented their points of view to the committee.



Nov. 25 – Meeting 29 [Protection of People with Disabilities]

Image shows four women:  Top row, Yonah Martin, panel co-chair; Catherine Frazee.  Bottom row, Megan Linton; Isabel Grant

Testimony of Dr. Catherine Frazee, TMU

Testimony of Isabel Grant, Professor, UBC School of Law

Testimony of Megan Linton, Researcher

Session Q & A

Part 2 of Meeting 29 [Mature Minors]

Testimony of Jennifer and Mike Schouten [Parents of Marcus]


Nov. 22 – Meeting 28 [Protection of People with Disabilities]

Part 1:

Testimony of Dr. Heidi Janz, Associate Professor

Testimony of Tim Stainton, UBC


Session Q & A

Part 2:

Testimony of Dr. Karen Ethans

Testimony of David Shannon

Session Q & A



Nov. 18 – Meeting 27 [Protection of People with Disabilities]

Part 1

Testimony of Gabrielle Peters, Disability Filibuster

Testimony of Krista Carr, Inclusion Canada



Session Q & A


Part 2


Testimony of the Duncan sisters, Daughters of Donna

Testimony of Kerri Joffe, ARCH

Session Q & A

Nov. 4, Meeting 25 [Inclusion of Mature Minors]



Part 1: Testimony of Elizabeth Sheehy, Law Professor and sister

Part 2: Testimony of Neil Belanger, Indigenous Disability Canada

Session Q & A (Part 1)
Session Q & A (Part 2)


October 28, Meeting 23 [Advance Directives]

Part 1

Testimony of Dr. Alice Chung, Geriatrician

Part 2

Testimony of Jonas-Sebastian Beaudry, McGill



Testimony of Dr. Marcia Sokolowski, Psychologist

Session Q & A

Testimony of a MAID practitioner (Meeting 23, Part 2)

I have included the shortest possible clip. This physician is a person who is not on our side of the argument. However it is notable that in her testimony, she freely (even cheerfully) tells the committee that she has been the consulting doctor on 800 MAID cases, and has actually provided at least 400 assisted deaths to date. This is a shockingly high number that should be accurately reflected in forthcoming Annual Reports.

In the most recent annual report there is no quantification beyond “10+”.

A colourful bar chart showing that most doctors have performed less than 9 assisted deaths.


This chart from the Annual Report requires some unpacking! The skinny bar at the top is misleading. 83.5% of doctors have performed less than 10 assisted suicides. About half of those, only 1. The 16.5% at the top represents a very big number of patients who had MAID performed by a very small number of physicians. While there may be good reasons to keep the identities of physicians confidential, there are NO good reasons for obscuring the facts in this way.



October 21, Meeting 21 [The state of palliative care in Canada]

Testimony of Derek Ross, CLF (Christian Legal Fellowship)

Session Q & A

October 18, Meeting 20 [The state of palliative care in Canada]

Testimony of Dr. Romayne Gallagher, UBC

Testimony of Baroness Finlay of Llandaff

Testimony of Dr. David Henderson, Integrated PC, NS

Testimony of Dr. Madeline Li, Psychiatrist & Ass. Professor

Q & A Session 1

Q & A Session 2

October 4, 2022 Meeting 18 [Mental Illness as sole underlying condition]

Testimony of Dr. Marie Nicolini, Senior Researcher



September 23, 2022 Meeting 16 [Mental Illness as Sole Underlying Condition]

Testimony of Ellen Cohen, review panel resignee

June 16, 2022. Meeting 13 [Protection of Persons with Disabilities, and Mental Illness]

Testimony of Cheryl Romaire, MAID applicant

Testimony of Trish Nichols, Family member of Alan

June 6, 2022 Meeting 11 [Inclusion of Mature Minors]

Testimony of Ahona Mehdi, DJNO

Testimony of Henry Myeengun, Indigenous Knowledge Keeper

May 30, 2022 Meeting 10

Testimony of Dr. Ramona Coelho, Physician

Testimony of Michelle Hewitt, Disability without Poverty

Testimony of Bill Adair, Spinal Cord Injury Canada

Testimony of Amelie Duranleau and Samuel Ragot, Quebec Intellectual Disability Society

Testimony of Conrad Saulis, Wabenaki Council on Disability

May 26, 2022 Meeting 9 [Inclusion of Mental Illness]

Testimony of John Maher, Ontario Association for ACT & FACT

Testimony of Georgia Vrakas, Psychologist

Testimony of Mark Sinyor, Professor

May 25, 2022 Meeting 8

Testimony of Brian Mishara, CRISE

Testimony of Sean Krausert, Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention


May 16, 2022 Meeting 7

Testimony of Sara Jama, DJNO

Testimony of Brian Mishara, CRISE

May 9, 2022 Meeting 6 [Advance Requests]

Testimony of Trudo Lemmens, U of T

Testimony of Dr. Catherine Ferrier, Geriatric Medicine

Testimony of Dr. Romayne Gallagher, Palliative Care


May 5, 2022 Meeting 5 [Advance Requests]

Testimony of Michael Bach, IRIS


April 28, 2022 Meeting 4

Testimony of Dr. Ebru Kaya, Palliative Care

Testimony of Dr. Harvey Chochinov, U of Manitoba

Testimony of Dr. Marjorie Tremblay, Physician

April 25, 2022 Meeting 3

Testimony of Dr. Felix Pageau, Geriatrician

Testimony of Dr. Leonie Herx, Queen’s U, Palliative Care

Testimony of Dr. Sonu Gaind, Professor

April 13, 2022 Meeting 2

Testimony of Jay Potter, Acting Senior Counsel, Department of Justice

2020

November 27, 2020. Submission to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs by Laverne Jacobs, Law Professor; Canada’s representative to the UN – CRPD Committee (The first Canadian ever to be elected to that committee)


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