MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
gion, you must provide an effective referral. This means
making a timely referral to a non-objecting, available,
and accessible physician or agency. You are not obliged to
assess whether the patient meets the criteria for physicianassisted death before making an effective referral.
During the consultation, some participants put
forward the argument that an effective referral is equivalent to providing physician-assisted death. Ultimately,
we could not accept that argument. It simply does not
accord with the purpose or implications of referrals in
clinical practice. An effective referral does not foreshadow
or guarantee an outcome: that a treatment will or will not
be provided. An effective referral is simply intended to
connect a patient with a physician who is willing to assess
a patient, and then if clinically suitable, provide a treatment subject to the patient’s consent.
We believe that the Interim Guidance document that
we have developed is solid, is consistent with the direction of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Carter decision,
and that it is practical, in that it sets out a process map
regarding requests for physician-assisted death. But most
importantly, I am proud of this document because it recognizes the dignity of our patients and reflects physicians’
respect for that dignity. The interaction that we have with
our patients at the end of life is possibly the most important interaction we will ever have with them, and so I
urge you to become familiar with the Interim Guidance,
and follow the College’s ongoing work in this area.
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I would also like to take this opportunity to address
the comments made on our online consultation page and
in social media channels following Council’s proposal of
a $25 increase in membership fees. This increase – which
was just approved by Council – brings the fee that a
physician pays to renew a certificate of registration from
$1,570 to $1,595, a 1.6% increase. Although I chose
not to actively participate in the online conversation,
I followed the consultation responses closely, and the
thrust of some members