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Canada's Ontario to provide drugs at no cost for assisted dying

Xinhua, June 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

Ontario's health minister said Monday that Canada's most populous province will ensure that drugs for medically assisted dying will be available at no cost.

Eric Hoskins also said Ontario will establish a referral service that will connect physicians unwilling or unable to provide medically assisted dying with those who are willing to complete a patient's consultation and assessment on the matter.

His comments came as a deadline passed for the Canadian federal government to come up with a new law on medically assisted dying.

As of Monday, medically assisted dying is now legal in Canada, governed by the eligibility criteria set out in a ruling from the Supreme Court of Canada last year, which struck down the ban on assisted dying as a violation of the charter right to life, liberty and security of the person.

Hoskins urged the federal government to pass legislation on assisted dying as quickly as possible so a national framework could be established on the practice.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, speaking with reporters at a transit-related news conference in Toronto, said those seeking a doctor-assisted death in the province no longer need to go to court to get permission.

Instead, Wynne said, "they would have to work through their doctor."

Meanwhile, Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott said provincial guidelines on doctor-assisted dying will not provide the necessary guidance or protection needed as medically assisted dying becomes legal in Canada on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court of Canada gave the federal government until the end of Monday to pass new legislation on doctor assisted death, but Bill C-14 - the Liberals' proposed bill on assistance in dying - is still undergoing scrutiny in Parliament.

"While I have faith in Canada's healthcare providers to carry out these responsibilities responsibly and ethically, I believe that regulatory guidance alone is insufficient, given the nature of what you will be asked to do," Philpott said during a speech to a national health conference in Ottawa on Monday.

Philpott also warned of the "gaps" that exist between the different provincial frameworks.

"For instance, safeguards around age are very different across the country. Some of the regulatory recommendations talk about an age of 18 or over and some don't, so there are challenges there," she said.

"There are differences in term of how many witnesses are required. In some cases, it's two witnesses, in others one, and in some of the regulatory guidelines there's no provision for someone to witness the signature of the patient," Philpott told reporters.

Liberal MP Adam Vaughan, who was at the event with Wynne, said assisted dying remains a "complex and sensitive issue."

"We're going to have to have an evolving conversation," said Vaughan. Endit