    {"id":3930,"date":"2020-08-04T16:09:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T14:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.dignitas.bertastrasse1.ch\/news\/dignitas-news-en-282\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T16:35:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T14:35:15","slug":"canada-bill-c-14","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/news\/canada-bill-c-14\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada: Bill C-14"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>11 July 2016 \/ 17 June 2016 \/ 6 February 2015 \/ 4 August 2020<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">On 17 June 2016, Bill C-14 \u2013 an Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (Medical Assistance In Dying) \u2013 passed in the House of Commons and the Senate and is now law in Canada. The law no allows for physician-assisted accompanied suicide and voluntary euthanasia.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lop.parl.gc.ca\/About\/Parliament\/LegislativeSummaries\/bills_ls.asp?Language=E&amp;ls=C14&amp;Mode=1&amp;Parl=42&amp;Ses=1&amp;source=library_prb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Legislative Summary of Bill C-14<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lop.parl.gc.ca\/About\/Parliament\/LegislativeSummaries\/bills_ls.asp?Language=E&amp;ls=C14&amp;Mode=1&amp;Parl=42&amp;Ses=1&amp;source=library_prb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">(Link)<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.parl.gc.ca\/content\/hoc\/Bills\/421\/Government\/C-14\/C-14_4\/C-14_4.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Bill C-14 in English and French<\/strong> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">(Link \/ PDF)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/elplanning.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>End of Life Planning Canada<\/strong> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">(Link)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/righttodie.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Right to die Society of Canada<\/strong> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">(Link)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dyingwithdignity.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Dying with Dignity Canada<\/strong> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">(Link)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.camapcanada.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CAMAP &#8211; Canadian Association of<br \/>\nMedical Assistance in Dying Assessors and Providers<\/strong> <span style=\"color: #333333;\">(Link)<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, Bill C-14 will be challenged in court because it conflicts with the Supreme Court\u2019s decision: by limiting access to only those patients whose natural deaths are \u201creasonably foreseeable\u201d, the new law denies rightful access to entire classes of patients who have severe chronic conditions but who are not approaching end of life. <span style=\"color: #000000;\">(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dyingwithdignity.ca\/bill_c14_challenge_launched\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Link<\/strong><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">On 6 February 2015, in a unanimous 9:0 decision Canada\u2019s Supreme Court has struck down the country\u2019s Criminal Code laws prohibiting physician-assisted suicide. The rule didl not come into force for 12 months, extended by another 4 months on application by the government to gain time for drafting legislation. This delay elapsed 6 June 2016. It means it is no longer against the law, under certain circumstances, for a doctor to help someone who is severely ill to end their life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/radio\/whitecoat\/palliative-care-vs-assisted-suicide-a-false-dichotomy-1.2860454\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">In the words of MP Steven Flechter: &#8221;It&#8217;s unCanadian not to allow people to be empowered to make end of life decisions for themselves.&#8221; (Link<\/span>)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bccla.org\/2015\/02\/the-death-with-dignity-decision-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>A brief summary of the case by the BCCLA<\/strong><\/a> (Link)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/scc-csc.lexum.com\/scc-csc\/scc-csc\/en\/item\/14637\/index.do\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Supreme Court judgment of Carter v. Canada<\/strong><\/a> (Link)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/supreme-court-says-yes-to-doctor-assisted-suicide-in-specific-cases-1.2947487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Media coverage<\/strong><\/a> (Link)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As part of its response to the Carter decision, the Government of Canada has established the External Panel on Options for a Legislative Response to Carter v. Canada. The mandate of the Panel is to engage Canadians and key stakeholders on issues the federal government will need to consider in its response to the Carter ruling.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/news.gc.ca\/web\/article-en.do?nid=1002949\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>External Panel on Options for a Legislative Response to Carter v. Canada<\/strong><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> (Link<\/span><\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ep-ce.ca\/news\/news-release-sept21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">The panel visited DIGNITAS on 7 September 2015 (Link<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/stories\/pdf\/diginpublic\/stellungnahme-submission-dignitas-panel-cartercase-canada-07092015.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Additionally to general information, all available on the it\u2019s website,<br \/>\nDIGNITAS presented the panel upon their visit with a <\/span><strong>paper\/submission<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> (PDF)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/stories\/pdf\/diginpublic\/stellungnahme-submission-dignitas-panel-cartercase-canada-07092015-2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">DIGNITAS has also written and submitted a <\/span><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>paper with a complete law proposal for Canada<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, the \u201cDraft Act to Provide for Accompanied Suicide with Assistance by Registered Charitable Not-for-Profit Organisations (Accompanied Suicide Act \u2013 ASA)\u201d (PDF)<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/news.nationalpost.com\/health\/canadian-panel-looking-at-assisted-dying-learns-much-from-european-experience\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">The panel learned much from the European experience (Link)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.justice.gc.ca\/eng\/rp-pr\/other-autre\/pad-amm\/pad.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">The Panel has published a final report (<\/span><strong>Link\/PDF<\/strong><\/a>)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The consultation work of the Panel and the final report is followed up by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.parl.gc.ca\/Committees\/en\/PDAM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">PDAM &#8211; Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying (<\/span><strong>Link<\/strong><\/a>)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">There has been criticism on the Panel being that Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov and Catherine Frazee \u2013 two of the three panellists \u2013 were witnesses against assisted dying in the Carter v. Canada case. This raises questions as to the independence of the panel, it undermines its credibility and it could lead to a biased final report. (<a href=\"http:\/\/news.nationalpost.com\/news\/canada\/federal-government-appoints-panel-to-review-assisted-dying-but-critics-fear-bias\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Link<\/strong><\/a>)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Furthermore, there has been critique that the survey the panel used was designed to manufacture fear, for example by telling people that \u201csome say\u201d that assisted dying may decrease resources for the disabled and then asking whether people are concerned. Or the question of whether a hypothetical 17-year-old with a full and complete understanding of his or her condition should be able to receive a doctor&#8217;s help to die \u2013 whilst in fact the Supreme Court decision dealt only with adults, not emancipated minors. (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/doctor-assisted-suicide-survey-designed-to-manufacture-fear-1.3208458\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Link<\/strong><\/a>); for a full report read: <a href=\"https:\/\/d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net\/dwdcanada\/pages\/400\/attachments\/original\/1447266045\/Issues_Book_Analysis_-_G__McRuer_-_Nov4.pdf?1447266045\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">A Methodological Analysis of the Issues Book Survey on Doctor-Assisted Dying (<\/span><strong>Link\/PDF<\/strong><\/a>)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/health-canada\/services\/medical-assistance-dying-annual-report-2019.html#highlights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">First Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada<\/span><\/a>&#8221; has been published, with information collected from practitioners and pharmacists for the 2019 calendar year on written requests for and cases of MAID across Canada (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/health-canada\/services\/medical-assistance-dying-annual-report-2019.html#highlights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Link<\/strong><\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>11 July 2016 \/ 17 June 2016 \/ 6 February 2015 \/ 4 August 2020 On 17 June 2016, Bill C-14 \u2013 an Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (Medical Assistance In Dying) \u2013 passed in the House of Commons and the Senate and is now law [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","tags":[621,622],"class_list":["post-3930","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","tag-canada","tag-maid"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}