Trudeau government’s assisted dying bill heads back to Senate with no amendments

OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – A senate committee has wrapped up its study of the Trudeau government’s assisted dying bill, with no proposed amendments.

Assisted dying became legal in Canada at midnight, when a Supreme Court deadline lapsed, with no new federal law yet in place.

The Senate’s legal committee met briefly this morning and agreed to send the bill back to the upper chamber as is. The reason for that is members felt amendments required more fulsome debate, so they will let all senators put forward ideas and discuss in the chamber.

Third reading debate begins tomorrow.

It’s not clear how long this Senate debate may go — some have suggested a couple of weeks — but Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould is optimistic the law will be approved before the House rises for the summer on June 23rd.

“I’m hopeful that we’re going to get something in place far sooner than that. I know that the honourable senators share our objective, in terms of ensuring that there is a national framework.”

Wilson-Raybould says she is open to looking at a revised bill. “Any amendments that are proposed that would substantively change [it] need to be thoughtfully considered by us, certainly.”

Until a new law is in place, doctors will follow provincial guidelines — which are different in each jurisdiction, creating uncertainty for both doctors and patients.

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