Question Period Note: MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING (MAID)

• Our Government places the highest priority on ensuring Veterans and their families have the support and services they need, when and where they need it.

• The Department is not to suggest, discuss or offer assistance with medical assistance in dying (MAID) - it’s not within their scope of work and is not a service we provide. All frontline employees have been provided with clear direction on this issue.

• We understand the significance of the recent incident. An apology was immediately offered to the Veteran and I have initiated a full and thorough investigation into the incident, which I expect to receive shortly.

• Employees are trained in situations involving Veterans who may be in crisis situations, and specific training on MAID has been offered to employees.

BACKGROUND — MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING (MAID)

The Department was recently made aware of an incident involving a Veteran client and a Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) employee where medical assistance in dying was discussed inappropriately. The Veteran client called VAC to share what happened on the call with the VAC employee, at which time we immediately took action to address the situation and apologized to the client.

The department began a thorough internal investigation on what occurred. The investigation is presently ongoing and appears to be an isolated incident and not indicative of a pattern of behaviour or a systemic issue.

Considerations for medical assistance in dying (MAID) are the subject of discussions between a patient and their primary care providers to determine appropriateness in each individual context. It is covered through the provincial and territorial health authorities and is administered by a physician or nurse practitioner directly to the individual. Dying with Dignity website Get the facts on MAID | Dying With Dignity Canada can provide more information.

VAC staff have no mandate or role to recommend medical assistance in dying to Veteran clients. MAID is not a VAC service and is not within their scope of work.

However, we may be approached by Veterans following their decision to pursue medical assistance in dying. In those cases, our employees can help the Veteran and the family understand their benefits, as well as any other support or services that might be relevant in the Veteran’s circumstances. Our employees are also trained to serve and assist Veterans who may be in crisis situations and ensure they have access to the support they need when and where they need it.

Guidance around medical assistance in dying has been in place for all of our employees since medical assistance in dying was legalized. Reminders about this, and other important items for our staff, are shared regularly. In light of this unfortunate incident, we are communicating specifically about medical assistance in dying with all of our client facing management and staff. All of our frontline staff will be provided with training to reinforce the expectations and the available programs and services offered by the Department to support the health and well-being of Veterans.

We always encourage Veterans who are dealing with mental health concerns to reach out to us to ensure that they are getting the help that they need.

WHEN PRESSED:

Q1 – How is medical assistance in dying (MAID) administered or approved?
Response: Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) is a deeply complex and personal medical issue that is out of the jurisdiction of Veterans Affairs Canada staff. For more information, please consult this link: Directive: Role of the Veteran Service Team (VST) Regarding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) - VS Toolbox - VAC@work (vac-acc.gc.ca)

Q2 – What is the role of VAC employees when it comes to Veterans requesting medical assistance in dying?
Response: VAC employees shall not provide advice or suggestions to Veterans on the issue of MAID. If a Veteran is seeking advice or assistance with MAID, the employee must refer the Veteran to their primary care provider. If a Veteran has chosen to pursue MAID with their primary care provider and shares this information with a member of the Veteran Service Team (VST), VAC employees can support the Veteran in navigating VAC benefits and services available. Support can include resource coordination and navigation such as connecting a Veteran and their family to community resources, mental health practitioners, grief counsellors, pastoral outreach or other local resources.

Q3 – What steps and remedial action is VAC taking to address the recent incident?
Response: Once we were made aware of the incident, we immediately contacted and apologized to the Veteran and began a thorough internal investigation of what occurred. The department understands the significance of the situation and we are taking appropriate administrative action to ensure this situation does not happen again.

Q4 – Have there been discussions with the employee in question and are they still employed at VAC?
Response: For privacy reasons, we cannot speak to internal processes involving an employee. However, we are conducting a thorough internal investigation and I can assure you that we are taking the necessary steps to ensure an incident such as this one will not happen again.