Peter MacKay defends doctor assisted dying panel saying it's not biased
It's been more than five months since Supreme Court of Canada overturned ban on doctor assisted dying
Justice Minister Peter MacKay says the federal government is not trying to bias the outcome of an expert panel tasked with recommending how to move forward now that the Supreme Court of Canada overturned a ban on doctor assisted dying.
It's been more than five months since the decision, which kept the law in place for a year to give the government time to react. The Harper government appointed a three person expert panel to recommend how to make doctor assisted dying happen, but a British Columbia Civil Liberties Union says the government loaded the panel with opponents of right-to-die legislation.
At an announcement Tuesday in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay responded to the criticism.
MacKay defended appointing two out of the three members of the panel who have testified in court that they oppose the right to die.
"This dice is not set. This is not an attempt in any way to bias the outcome," he said. "Nor is it in any way going to overturn a Supreme Court decision. Let's bring this back to reality. This is about having a fulsome consultation."
The government's terms limit the expert panel to meeting with people who took part in the last Supreme Court of Canada appeal. The panel will report late in the fall.
Other Canadians will get an opportunity to express their views on doctor assisted death, online, said MacKay.
The government will announce when it will open up that website "fairly shortly," he said.
It appears no concrete action will be taken by the federal government before the October election.
MacKay predicts the next government will ask the court to delay lifting the ban until new rules can be drafted to give patients and doctors more direction.