QUALITY END-OF-LIFE CARE: THE RIGHT OF EVERY CANADIAN

A current development for Canadians is the recent findings of a report prepared by the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. Led by the Honourable Sharon Carstairs, the task of this committee was to examine the quality of end-of-life care in Canada. The following contains a summary of the Final Report.

FINAL REPORT

The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
Chair:	The Honourable Sharon Carstairs
Deputy Chair:	The Honourable Gérald A. Beaudoin
June 2000

	As set out in the 1960 Canadian Bill of Rights, Canada is founded upon the dignity and worth of the human person. That dignity and worth compels the provision of excellent end-of-life care at a time when each person is at his/her most vulnerable.
	Quality end-of-life care must become an entrenched core value of Canada’s health care system. Each person is entitled to die in relative comfort, as free as possible from physical, emotional psycho-social, and spiritual distress. Each Canadian is entitled to access skilled, compassionate, and respectful care at the end of life.
	Calls for a more compassionate and comprehensive approach to end-of-life seems to be assigned a low priority in the existing health care system. Despite statistical evidence indicating an increase in the number of deaths, disease patterns, and health care institutions, there has not yet been the required shift of resources to end-of-life care.
	The Subcommittee believes that appropriate quality end-of-life care will not happen unless the federal government takes a leadership role in developing a national end-of-life strategy.

Recommendations

1.	The federal government, in collaboration with the provinces, develop a national strategy for end-of-life care.
2.	The federal government, in collaboration with the provinces, establish a 5 year plan for implementing this national strategy.
3.	The federal government prepare an annual progress report on implementing this national strategy.

Summary

	The focus of the Senate Subcommittee report is the promotion and implementation of Hospice/Palliative Care standards throughout Canada.
	The report urges the guarantee of greater support for programs and training through funding of community resources, education of professional care providers, and the initiation of programs that enable people to care for their chronically ill and dying family members.
	The Subcommittee does not promote a “compassionate homicide” provision in the criminal code due to the possible influence on the Supreme Court of Canada’s review of Robert Latimer’s sentence in his second degree murder conviction for killing his daughter Tracy. Such a criminal code provision might lead to less protection in law and possibly more cases of abuse and murder of disabled, elderly, chronically ill and other vulnerable people.

Our Last Rights - Contents