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Jocelyn Downie, MA, MLitt, LLM, SJD, Professor of Law at Dalhousie University, in Jan. 28, 2016 testimony to Canadian Parliament, "Prof. Jocelyn Downie (Professor, Faculties of Law and Medicine, Dalhousie University, as an Individual) at the Physician-Assisted Dying Committee," available at openparliament.ca, stated:
“Terminal illness should not be an inclusion criterion. It was not included by the [Canadian] Supreme Court in Carter [v. Canada]. It is too vague and indeterminate. It is arbitrary and it has no moral justification as a barrier to access…
I would suggest that the best position to take at this time is to require the following: at the time of the request, the patient must have a grievous and irremediable condition and be competent, and at the time of the provision of assistance, the patient must still have a grievous and irremediable condition and be experiencing intolerable suffering by the standards set by the patient at the time or prior to losing capacity.”
Jan. 28, 2016