More serious issues were overshadowed by a ridiculous incident in Parliament last week, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau found himself in hot water after a scuffle of sorts broke out. As the clock ticks down towards the government’s deadline to pass assisted dying legislation by June 6, NDP MPs were blocking the way for the Conservative Opposition whip who was looking to pass through for a vote. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marched over, reached for MP Gord Brown, and led him through the melee – knocking his elbow past a female MP in the process.
Trudeau was clearly out of line and showed a lack of respect for parliamentary process, as well as a lack of respect and dignity towards his fellow MPs. But accusations from Conservative and NDP MPs that it was akin to assault or violence were completely over the top, given that his contact with any other MPs was clearly unintentional.
Such antics distracted from the topic at hand, assisted dying legislation, a serious and fundamentally far-reaching issue that deserves to take priority over an act of boorishness and resulting outrage.
This is likely a piece of legislation that will satisfy no one completely: on one hand, those who oppose the right-to-die will consider any legislation to be morally reprehensible, while others will take issue with the fact that the bill only allows assisted dying for those who are facing imminent death, and excludes people suffering from psychiatric conditions. Already, Alberta’s Court of Appeal has struck back against the federal government’s more restricted approach to physician assisted dying, describing the restrictions as against public interest, confronted with the case of a woman dubbed E.F., who suffers from a psychiatric condition that results in physical deterioration: she is blind, unable to stand, unable to eat for up to two days at a time and is in constant pain.
Physician-assisted death is a delicate and sensitive matter that it does no good to rush through, with such haste as Trudeau pulled at Brown. The Liberals’ move to limit debate on the topic was short-sighted and undemocratic; poorly crafted legislation will satisfy no one and leads the way to future challenges. Patients facing enduring and intolerable suffering, as the Supreme Court described, deserve the right for more clear-headed thinking and straightforward answers from their MPs, rather than bluster, aggressiveness and fighting. Shame on Trudeau and Conservative and NDP buffoonery for letting their egos get in the way of doing the real work.
