On Monday, November 23, 2020 from 5 to 6 p.m., Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, will speak before an Ontario Legislature committee about Bill 3, Compassionate Care Act, 2020.
The bill calls on the Minister of Health and Long-term Care to create a framework for providing access to hospice palliative care in this province.
Cardinal Collins has long been an advocate for increasing access to palliative care. For years we have known that only 30 per cent of Canadians can access quality palliative care at the end of their life. Despite the promises of numerous provincial and federal governments, this statistic has not changed.
Cardinal Collins will tell the committee that as the federal government moves ahead with expanding access to euthanasia, the need for palliative care is now even more important, so Ontarians will have real end of life options. He will also commend Catholic agencies that are doing this work in the archdiocese and ask for conscience rights protections for medical professionals who object to euthanasia on moral grounds.