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OTTAWA, April 17, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Support for a motion tabled by an NDP Member of Parliament calling on the federal government to establish a pan-Canadian palliative and end-of-life care policy is growing after its first hour of debate earlier this month, with veteran pro-life MP Maurice Vellacott throwing his full support behind the initiative.

Charlie Angus, NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay, introduced a Private Members Motion (M-456) to establish a national palliative care strategy on October 31, 2013 in response to recommendations from the Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care for a national policy on improving palliative care, suicide prevention strategies and protecting people from elder abuse.

The motion, which was seconded by Vellacott, had its first hour of debate in the House April 1, where Angus said, “I am hoping to get the full support of the members of Parliament. I am certainly counting on the members who did the extraordinary work on the palliative care committee. I think this is something on which we can all agree. I would ask my colleagues to work with us to support this motion and then begin to push for its full implementation.”

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In response to the points raised in the Motion 456 debate, Mr. Vellacott said, “Support for human dignity and quality of life, with investments in pain management and other palliative tools, is where the Canadian conversation should go,” according to the National Post.

“We don’t want to go down the dangerous and failed route of assisted suicide and euthanasia tried by other countries,” Vellacott added.

Angus has also expressed concern about the two private member’s bills introduced by Conservative MP Stephen Fletcher seeking to reopen the debate on assisted suicide and euthanasia.

According to the Catholic Register, Angus told Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops president Archbishop Paul-André Durocher that the conversation about palliative care as a common sense solution to concerns about end-of-life care could be “derailed” by a renewed debate on assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Discussing assisted suicide without having a national system of quality palliative care in place would be “pre-emptive,” Angus said, explaining that when people do not have access to quality palliative care, they are “not in a fair position to even discuss the issue of assisted suicide.”

“Every one dies. Every family has to deal with the loss of a loved one and these traumatic moments are made more difficult and more expensive when there is no access to quality palliative care. Palliative care is about patient and family centered physical, psychological, and spiritual care. With an aging population it is crucial that the federal government provide leadership in palliative care and end-of-life services,” wrote Angus in a letter to the Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association, which fully supports Motion 456.

Mr. Angus said that the success of establishing a pan-Canadian palliative care strategy will come down to the willingness of individual MPs to stand up for the issue.

“I don't want to be crass about it, but the success of a national palliative care initiative in Parliament will be a numbers game. Will enough individual Liberal and Conservatives stand up and support the motion? This is an important opportunity for the public to engage with their MPs and tell them they want them to put the national vision of palliative care ahead of political concerns,” said Angus.

He added that he is confident that the palliative motion can succeed because the motion will be subject to a free vote.

“In 2011, 30 Conservative MPs signed on to a report calling for a national palliative care strategy. If 25 of them show up to vote in the House the motion will succeed.” He noted that, so far, he has received assurances that 5 Conservative MPs are on board.

“I will continue to speak with Conservative and Liberal MPs on the importance of Parliament speaking up on palliative care. I think what will be even more important is for citizens across the country to speak with their local MPs to ensure they do the right thing,” Angus said.

The vote on Motion 456 is expected May 14.

Contact info and evaluations for all MPs are available on the Campaign Life Coalition website here.