Last-minute plea from NDP for Trudeau gov’t to amend assisted dying bill
Posted May 30, 2016 10:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – The federal New Democrats are calling for last-minute changes to the Liberals’ controversial assisted dying bill.
MPs will be voting on potential amendments tonight, and the bill could pass through the House of Commons by Wednesday. But the NDP argues this is a serious issue that shouldn’t be rushed.
“I don’t understand why this urgency,” says critic Murray Rankin.
He says the bill likely won’t become law before the Supreme Court deadline and there is no harm in delaying it a few weeks.
“There’s no cataclysmic event that occurs after June 6th. So, we say ‘Do it right rather than doing it right now.'”
Rankin believes the legislation is not Charter-compliant or respects the court decision on issues such as who is eligible. He says there are many Liberal MPs who feel the same way.
After the bill is passed in the House, it still needs to be passed by the Senate before it can become law.
