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| Robert-Falcon Ouellette, MP |
Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette says he plans to vote against his party’s proposed bill to legalize medically assisted dying [assisted suicide and euthanasia].
Ouellette said the federal government should work around the deadline and delay legalizing assisted death for at least five to 10 years until it’s absolutely clear what sort of impact it would have in all corners of Canadian society.
“I think we need to take more time, especially in light of Attawapiskat,” said Ouellette.
Attawapiskat, a Cree community in Ontario’s James Bay region, recently declared a state of emergency after suffering through 11 suicide attempts in a 24-hour span.
“I think there are communities that have this issue and if you allow, all of a sudden, this to occur…it might be very difficult,” he said. “If grandma, grandfather decides they had enough in life…if they weren’t able to carry on, why should I carry on? If they weren’t strong enough, why should I be strong enough?