CCCB part of an interfaith coalition that sent a letter of support
By Deborah Gyapong
OTTAWA (CCN)
An interfaith coalition including Canada’s Catholic Bishops has endorsed Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu’s palliative care Bill C-277, adding to the likelihood it will pass in the House of Commons. “We feel very strongly Canadians are behind this bill, and so far it looks like we have all-party support,” Gladu said in an interview.
The bill is scheduled for its first hour of debate on second reading in the House of Commons the week of Nov. 21. Private member’s bills normally get two hours of debate before a vote that could send it to committee for further review.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) was part of an interfaith coalition that sent a Nov. 15 letter to MP Gladu in support of Bill C-177 ‘An Act providing for the development of a framework on palliative care in Canada.’
“This private member’s bill requires the development of a palliative care framework, which would lead us a significant step forward by increasing caregiver support and data collection, and identifying palliative care education and training needs,” the letter signed by the CCCB, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the Canadian Council of Imams, the Armenian Prelacy of Canada, the Greek Orthodox Primate; and the Ottawa Muslim Association.
“We believe that palliative care is a compassionate response to those who are facing illness or at the end of life,” the letter said. “It is an approach that treats the whole person, respects human dignity and provides comfort to the most vulnerable among us.”
The interfaith coalition noted only 30 per cent of Canadians have access to palliative care. “It is a national imperative that we increase the quality of and access to palliative care across the country, and make it a central and integral part of our health care system.”
Gladu said she was “really pleased” to receive the coalition’s support. “I think it just shows the importance of having a choice.”
“In places that have adopted assisted dying legislation but have good palliative care, 95 per cent of people choose to live as well as they can for as long as they can,” Gladu said. “We want to provide that life choice.”
The Sarnia-Lambton, Ont. MP said her private-member’s bill has “received overwhelming support” from the 38-member Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition (www.gelccc.ca) that includes the Canadian Medical Association, various palliative care and hospice associations, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society and other big name charities and healthcare organizations. She has also received 83 petitions in support of the bill.
In 2015, during the previous Parliament, NDP MP Charlie Angus’ motion calling for a national palliative care strategy had passed the House of Commons almost unanimously, “but nothing happened after that,” Gladu said.
Gladu said she was helped by members of the former All-Party Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care in drafting her bill. That committee reported “if you don’t have access to good palliative care, you don’t have a voluntary choice,” she said.
Her bill would require the Minister of Health to consult with the provinces and territories and palliative care providers to develop national framework to give Canadians access to palliative care; to identify the training needed by palliative care providers; to look at ways to support caregivers; to collect data and research; and to evaluate whether to amend the Canada Health Act to include palliative care services.
