Reid to hold referendum on Bill C-14

Jeff Green | May 11, 2016

Lanark Frontenac Kingston MP Scott Reid announced this week that he will place his vote on the upcoming third reading to the government-sponsored Bill C-14 in the hands of his constituents.

A ballot is being sent out through Canada Post's neighborhood mail to all post boxes in the riding, and can be returned postage free to his office.

The ballot includes references to arguments in favour and opposed to the legislation.

In the letter to constituents that accompanies the ballot, Reid says Bill C-14 would amend the Criminal Code to allow what the government characterizes as “medically assisted dying” - what is more commonly known as “physician-assisted suicide.” If the bill becomes law, it will be lawful for a physician or nurse practitioner to euthanize a patient, as long as a series of conditions are met. The conditions will be laid out in a provision which will become section 241.2 of the Criminal Code.

Four conditions must be met, according to Reid. They are that the patient is over 18 years old; the patient must have, in the words of the bill, a “grievous and irremediable medical condition” and natural death must be “reasonably foreseeable”; the patient must have made a voluntary and informed request for assisted suicide; and a second physician or nurse practitioner must agree that the first three conditions have been met.

In explaining his decision to pass his right as an elected official to vote on the bill to his constituents, Reid made the point that in matters such as this one, the conscience of each constituent “is no less worthy than mine. Therefore it is the people, not the politicians, who should be able to directly determine the direction the country takes.”

Reid said he will tabulate the results of the constituency referendum just before the final vote on Bill C-14 is called, which will be June 6 or sometime earlier. He encourages constituents to vote early to make sure he receives their response in time.

Within the body of his mailout, Reid includes comments in favour of the bill from Justice Minister Jody Wilson- Raybould; Anne Sutherland from the Canadian Nurses Association; and editorials from the Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen and Toronto Star.

Comments opposed to the bill include those from the Physicians' Alliance Against Euthanasia; Larry Worthen from the Christian Medical and Dental Society of Canada; Alex Schadenberg from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition; Andrew Coyne, columnist with the National Post; and Dying with Dignity.

For his own part, Reid talks about his concern that “conscientious objections of medical practitioners of medical institutions to provide or facilitate assistance in dying” should be protected in the bill if it passes, and he says he will work to have those protections included.

He asks that only one vote per registered voter be sent back to him.