Resource and Publication Links for Further Reading

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July 2012

• The Standard was developed with input from more than 40 senior advisors in the fields of law, medicine, ethics and advocacy for people with disabilities, as well as thirty health and community organizations across Canada.
• We are calling on parliamentarians to ensure that Standard’s safeguards are included in any federal legislation concerning physician-assisted death.
• The Standard is based on the best available evidence concerning the risks posed to vulnerable people in jurisdictions that have legalized access to physician-assisted death.
• We think it is a constructive contribution to the federal policy process, and will satisfy the immediate concerns of the tens of thousands of Canadians actively engaged in the disabilities movement, as well as the millions of Canadians who are apprehensive about the introduction of physician-assisted death.
• The Standard attempts to balance equitable access with appropriate safeguards.
• We believe Canadians who access physician-assisted death should be able to do so without jeopardizing the lives of vulnerable Canadians. This is why we believe a system of safeguards is essential.
• We continue to believe that access to physician-assisted death should only come into effect alongside a substantial commitment to improving access to palliative services and appropriate mental health services across Canada.

Click here for more information and frequently asked questions about the Vulnerable Persons Standard.

• Canadians have communicated their desire for an approach to physician-assisted death that is humane and carefully considered.
• The Supreme Court has directed that Parliament must balance the right to choose an assisted death with the right of vulnerable persons to be protected from harm.
• The Vulnerable Persons Standard meets these requirements. It does so by:
  • Limiting physician-assisted death to adults who are at the end of life and capable of giving informed consent;
  • Ensuring that physician-assisted death is never our response to social or psychosocial suffering;
  • Separating the evaluative, assessment and support roles of physicians from the adjudicative role of independent legal decision makers;
  • Requiring transparency, consistency and accountability as we move to introduce physician-assisted death; and
  • Respecting both the spirit and the letter of the Carter decision.

This is a webinar of a 2-part webinar on the subject:

Part 1: RDSP: http://www.planningnetwork.ca/en-ca/Webinar/26001/...

Part 2: Financial and Estate Planning: http://www.planningnetwork.ca/en-ca/Webinar/25487/...

Attempting to navigate the system of Disability Supports and Rebates offered for individuals with low incomes can be complex and confusing.

This family guide may be a useful tool for individuals and families needing direction.

NLACL Family Guide Issue1

NLACL Family Guide Issue 2

• Equal Protection for Vulnerable Persons
• The practice of physician-assisted death in Canada must be carefully regulated and monitored. This will require priority attention to meeting the palliative care and home support needs of all Canadians who suffer. It will also require a commitment to funding and public reporting of independent research to identify any direct or indirect impact on vulnerable persons.
• End-of-life Condition
• Physician-assisted death should only be available to adults who are at the end of life and who have “advanced weakening capacities with no chance of improvement”. This requirement is entirely consistent with the Supreme Court decision in Carter. It is also, notably, the requirement implemented in Québec law after several years of extensive public consultation.
• Voluntary and Capable Consent
• Adults who request a physician-assisted death must have the capacity to make such a decision, must be fully informed and be acting completely voluntarily. Physicians must ensure that patients are supported to access any alternate supports or treatments that might ease their suffering and that they receive whatever interpretation and communication support they require to participate in these profoundly important conversations. Adults with conditions like dementia that impair mental capacity cannot receive physician-assisted death on the basis of an advanced directive.
• Assessment of Suffering and Vulnerability
• It is critical to understand the nature of a person’s suffering in order to support their consideration of a physician-assisted death. When a person is motivated by factors such as grief, loneliness, shame or a lack of needed supports, safeguards must ensure that healthcare providers attempt to ease such suffering by means other than physician-assisted death.
• Arms-length Authorization
• Permitting any physician to perform an assisted death requires a legal decision, one that takes into account relevant medical evaluations and ensures that all safeguards have been respected. Recent experience at the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench confirms that these decisions can be made very quickly and in a way that respects a person’s dignity and privacy. When decisions are made with this kind of formality and independence, Canada’s system for physician-assisted death will serve as a model for transparency, consistency, and equity.

The NLACL produces the Gateway magazine to connect the grassroots membership with our association.

It contains interesting stories, articles about issues being faced by persons with intellectual disabilities, updates from the executive and staff regarding the work being done by the NLACL as well as important information and updates about RDSPs, Wills and Estates, Supported living and NLACL Conferences.

The Gateway Magazine has been in production for over 20 years and is produced bi-yearly.

If you would like to read the magazine, please click the following links: 

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Gateway Winter – 2018 

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Gateway Winter – 2017

Gateway Summer – 2017 

Gateway Winter – 2016 

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Gateway Winter – 2013

Click here to download the PDF, or view it interactively below.

If you would like to read this publication, please click the following link:

Support Trust Guide

This plan is provided as a resource for families and individuals to help plan for their future. It is adapted from “Connections: A Guide to Transition Planning”, developed by First Leadership Limited. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development offers a Transitions Plan for its students and follows its own guidelines around transition planning. If you are still in school, it may be best to continue to use the support and resources that your school provides. Transitioning Planning is discussed during Program Planning Team meetings and if you still have questions please ask the school for more information.

If you would like to read this publication, click the following link to download: Transitions Planning Workbook

The following guide book is a resource of the many supports, programming and services available in Newfoundland and Labrador for persons with intellectual disabilities.

Disclaimer: This guide includes information for resources and programming that is current as of March, 2017. Individual programs or services are subject to change. For more information, contact the program administrator listed or NLACL.If you would like to read this publication, please click the following link: Transitions Supports Services Guide

About the Vulnerable Persons Standard

• The VPS represents a consensus position across a diverse constituency of Canadian organizations, including medical, faith-based, disability and other advocacy perspectives.
• The VPS brings together people who support physician-assisted death but appreciate the need for safeguards, along with those who oppose physician-assisted death, but appreciate the need to reduce its potential harm. In the context of a highly divisive social policy debate, the VPS points to a strong ‘overlapping consensus’ among growing numbers of Canadians.
• The VPS offers a set of five key safeguards that strike the necessary balance in providing access to physician-assisted death without jeopardizing the lives of vulnerable persons.

• To be vulnerable is to have diminished defences, making us more prone to harm. Many defences that we take for granted: food and secure shelter; adequate income, education and healthcare; family and friends; laws and policies that protect us and promote our interests, are not available to all Canadians.

• Research demonstrates that these kinds of defences are highly significant in affecting our health and well-being. People with less access to these defences are more vulnerable to illness, to suffering and to reduced life expectancy.

• Psychosocial factors, including grief, loneliness, stigma and shame may also contribute to a person’s vulnerability. A person may also be vulnerable to being induced or coerced to request an assisted death, which is why it is essential to address this risk with a Vulnerable Persons Standard.