Ottawa – Today, His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, testified before the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying, which is empowered to make recommendations on the framework of a federal response on physician-assisted dying after the Supreme Court of Canada ruling stating that the Criminal Code is a breach of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“I wish to thank His Eminence for a powerful testimony before the Committee this evening,” said Senator Enverga in a statement after the committee had adjourned.  “As members of the Catholic church, we have a duty to defend life, and to proclaim the culture of life for the common good of society. I also wish to congratulate His Eminence on taking on his role as the chief shepherd of all Catholics in the Archdiocese of Toronto, and on standing up to what the late Pope John Paul II called a culture of death leading to the creation of structures of sin that go against life.”

“Our worth as a society will be measured by the support we give to the vulnerable. People facing illness may choose to end their lives for reasons of isolation, discouragement, loneliness, or poverty even though they may have many years yet to live. What does it say about us as a society when the ill and the vulnerable in our midst feel like burdens? Often, a plea for suicide is a cry for help. Society should respond with care and a compassionate response to these vulnerable people, and not with death,” said Cardinal Collins as part of his testimony, urging parliamentarians to focus on palliative care rather than allowing physician-assisted suicide when our healthcare system fails the weakest in our society.

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Senator Enverga attends the committee as an observer, February 3, 2016
Cardinal Collins testifies before the Special Joint Committee, February 3, 2016