Just hours ago, the Supreme Court of Canada granted the federal government a four month extension before its judgment on physician-assisted dying will come into effect – but with an exemption for critically ill Canadians, who will be allowed to ask a judge for an assisted death earlier.
The Court’s decision gives the federal government time that was lost when Parliament was dissolved for the 2015 federal election. The new deadline will be June 6, 2016.
The Court ruled that qualified Canadians who are suffering unbearably right now will have the right to apply to the superior court in their jurisdiction for the right to access physician assistance to die during the extension period.
Additionally, the Court will allow the province of Quebec to continue offering access to assisted dying according to the Quebec law that came into force on December 10, 2015.
We are so glad that Canadians who are suffering right now will not be required to wait another four months while Parliament sorts out its next steps. As of February 6, sick and dying Canadians will be able to seek the assistance of a doctor to safely and humanely end their life if their suffering becomes unbearable.
We understand that the new government believes they need more time to determine their plan for implementing the Court’s decision. Although we disagree— believing instead that a clear way forward already exists— we look forward to working with the government to ensure that physician assisted dying is implemented in a safe and accessible way as soon as possible.
We are grateful to our incredible pro bono counsel — Sheila Tucker of DLA Piper (Canada) LLP and Joseph Arvay, Q.C. and Alison Latimer of Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP — who have fought tirelessly on behalf of critically Canadians suffering against their will.
Today’s decision is a victory for those individuals who want choice over their end of life decisions.
Thank you for your support as we fight to make this right a reality.
Sincerely,
Grace Pastine, BCCLA Litigation Director,
and the BCCLA team
