Senate may make fundamental changes to assisted dying legislation
Posted May 16, 2016 9:42 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – There’s a chance the federal government’s proposed assisted dying law may not get passed ahead of a Supreme Court deadline.
It all depends on what happens in the senate.
The House of Commons may pass the legislation this week, at which point the Senate takes over.
“[It’s] anybody’s guess with respect to… ultimately what will happen with the legislation,” says Conservative Senator Bob Runciman, who is chair of the senate committee examining the bill.
He tells Maclean’s on the Hill it could be in line for some significant changes. “It’s at least a 50/50 chance that it will be — and probably better odds than that.”
Many senators have been speaking about putting in place more conscience protections for doctors and institutions that object, giving an option of advanced consent for people with dementia, and removing the requirement that death has to be reasonably foreseeable.
As a result, Runciman is personally getting legal advice to see what happens if they don’t hit June 6th deadline. “If it’s a week later or two weeks later that legislation is passed, what does that really mean?”
“Is there significant danger inherent in that kind of delay? I don’t think we know, at this point.”
Runciman’s committee will release its recommendations for the bill tomorrow.
