The Canadian Senate recently passed Bill C-7, which expands medical assistance in dying (MAID) — or assisted suicide — to more Canadians, including those with intolerable suffering but who are not near natural death and people with irremediable mental illness.
The changes for people who are suffering and not near the end of their natural life take effect immediately, while it will be two years before those suffering from mental illnesses can apply.
Hospice palliative care
“Bill C-7 certainly put a spotlight on how Canadians are treated at the end of their life. Our association is really here to advocate for quality and access to hospice palliative in Saskatchewan,” said Cameron Choquette, board chair with the Saskatchewan Hospice Palliative Care Association.
Hospice palliative care is available in Saskatchewan, but it is difficult to access because of a lack of dedicated, funded beds, Choquette pointed out. However, great progress has been made to open palliative centres; one recently opened in St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon while a new building is going up in Prince Albert.
Pioneer Lodge in Moose Jaw is also home to several palliative care beds that Heartland Hospice funds and supports.
“There are really good opportunities to increase the access to palliative hospice care, but what is (also) likely needed is a comprehensive plan on how to ensure all Saskatchewan people die with dignity and die according to their wishes,” said Choquette.
There isn’t a province-wide plan to address hospice palliative care because of the merger of health regions several years ago, he explained. Furthermore, there hasn’t been a dedicated plan to address whether there are enough beds in the province and whether they are accessible.
The association’s Canadian partners are working every day to ensure that the dying can die in comfort, which is what is important to hospice care practitioners, Choquette added. In Saskatchewan, the conversation needs to focus on whether every resident — rural and urban — has equal access to palliative care.
Mental health
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is “extremely concerned” about the passage of Bill C-7, especially since mental illnesses are not terminal, said Phyllis O’Connor, executive director of the CMHA Saskatchewan Division.
“There is always the possibility of recovery and the hope for recovery, so we feel that offering medically assisted death is probably not the best choice,” she remarked.
What is required are adequate services and supports that people can access, so they do not reach the point where they feel their only option is assisted suicide, O’Connor continued. The CMHA doesn’t deny that people suffer from mental illnesses; however, recovery is possible.
“We’re strongly encouraging the government to make sure that all the supports people need to have an effective recovery from their mental health crisis and get the appropriate treatment in a timely and adequate fashion (are available), and then the need for that medically assisted death is not there,” she added.
In Saskatchewan, mental health services are “very poor” because they are difficult to access, while wait times are “terrible” — from six to 10 months in some cases to see a psychiatrist, O’Connor said. Furthermore, many people with severe mental illness don’t have the funds to pay for private counsellors.
“Getting the access to those services … it’s a very convoluted system,” she continued, adding it’s difficult for people to enter the system, and it’s underfunded.
There is no cure to mental illness, but there are treatment and recovery, added O’Connor. That treatment can help bring people to a good, fulfilling life.
