Feds asking court for third extension to deal with revamped assisted dying regime
almost 5 years in timescolonist
OTTAWA — For the third time, the federal government is asking a Quebec court for more time to revamp Canada's assisted-dying law.
The request for an extension — to Feb. 26 — comes after the Conservatives held up passage of Bill C-7 for two weeks in the House of Commons.
The bill finally passed Thursday but that leaves the Senate just one week to deal with it before the current court-ordered deadline of Dec. 18.
In September 2019, Quebec Superior Court Justice Christine Baudouin struck down a provision in the law that allows medically assisted dying only for those whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable.
She gave the government six months to bring the law into compliance with her ruling but agreed to two extensions, given the disruptions to Parliament caused by last fall's election and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In urging the Conservatives to stop their filibuster of the bill, Justice Minister David Lametti warned earlier this week that there is no guarantee the court would agree to a third extension.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2020.
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