New parliamentary committee to look at palliative care

By Deborah Gyapong

Canadian Catholic News

OTTAWA (CCN) — Members of Parliament from three parties have pledged to examine deficiencies in Canada’s palliative care network and the treatment of the elderly, the disabled and the mentally ill.

Five MPs announced the establishment of the Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care (PCPCC) at a news conference a couple of hours before Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde’s euthanasia and assisted suicide Bill C-384 was defeated by a 228 to 59 vote.

“It became quite clear we couldn’t simply oppose the bill,” NDP MP Joe Comartin told journalists. “We had to go beyond that.”

Conservative MP Harold Albrecht said the initiative is “an effort to provide the oxygen of hope” to respond to Canadian concerns around death, dying, disability and mental illness.

Albrecht said the PCPCC will hold hearings and conduct research on: improving and increasing palliative, hospice and home care; ensuring “every person with a disability is treated with respect and dignity”; creating a national suicide prevention strategy; protecting vulnerable elderly Canadians from elder abuse.

Albrecht, who has done research in the area of mental illness and suicide, said the answer for someone with severe depression is not “an easy way out that is irreversible.” He stressed the harm suicide does to the family and friends of those who take their own lives.

Comartin called any suicide “an admission of failure” on the part of society.

Liberal MP Frank Valeriote said he encountered many instances of elder abuse in his 28 years as an attorney. It can be in the form of physical or emotional abuse, or coercion. He noted how Canada’s population is aging and everyone encounters the needs of those who are dying, suffering from mental illness or physical disability.

Conservative MP Kelly Block and Liberal MP Michelle Simpson are also part of the initial group. Comartin said an invitation will go out this week to all MPs. They hope to attract MPs from the Bloc Quebecois as well.

Comartin has consistently argued against any legalization of assisted suicide or euthanasia until a nationwide system of good palliative care gives terminally ill patients a real choice.

The non-partisan effort will gain momentum because it is non-ideological, Comartin said. Many of the issues have a “significant overlap” and involve provincial and well as federal jurisdiction. Too many groups are “working in isolation,” he said.

The PCPCC call on the expertise of groups working in an array of areas: hospice and palliative care, the disabled and chronically ill, suicide prevention and mental health, and the elderly, Comartin said.

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition executive director Alex Schadenberg praised the new initiative.

“This is a positive response to the real concerns that Canadians have around end of life care and how we care for vulnerable Canadians of all ages,” said Schadenberg. “This committee recognizes the importance of people with disabilities.”

Schadenberg said many disabled people are concerned about the attitudes displayed toward them.

Lalonde’s bill would have allowed for those experiencing mental pain to receive help in taking their lives. “The committee recognizes suicide prevention strategies are important,” Schadenberg said.

The euthanasia debate has brought elder abuse into the forefront. Schadenberg has warned that legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide could encourage more elder abuse, while giving it a legal cover.

The PCPCC needs to raise funds to hire a researcher who can co-ordinate efforts and write a final report, Comartin said.