THE FOLLOWING is a statement from the Conservative Party of BC,
regarding removal of funding to the Delta Hospice Society:
The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, in an online article
entitled “Dispelling the Myths” states that it is important for people to
understand that; Hospice and palliative care focuses on living until the end,
not dying.
The article goes on to say it is a myth that hospice and palliative care
accelerates death. Rather they say it is a fact that hospice and palliative
care aims to neither prolong nor accelerate death but rather ensures quality of
life until the very end.
It is unfortunate then, that the BC government is now taking steps to
ensure that those providing hospice and palliative care will now in fact be
forced to, at least in part, focus on dying, and accelerating death.
Ryan Warawa -- son of the late Conservative MP Mark Warawa, and a two-term President of the Conservative Party of BC -- last night related to Party leader Trevor Bolin how his father spent his final days fighting for; greater access to palliative and hospice care.
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| Ryan Warawa |
“He also was passionate about the right of a hospice to fulfill its
mandate to provide care that does not hasten or delay death. This includes the
right to not provide Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) over conscience
objections”, stated Ryan.
Last weekend at the Party’s Annual General Meeting, a policy proposal
put forward by Ryan Warawa, was passed unanimously. The new policy states:
The Conservative Party of BC recognizes that some
operators of palliative care hospices refuse to provide medical assistance in
dying (MAiD) because they contend it conflicts with their principles that death
should not be hastened. To that end, the Conservative Party of BC believes that
hospices should have the right to opt out of providing MAiD.
The timing of that resolution became even more important with yesterdays
announcement that the BC government, through the Fraser Health Authority ...
will stop funding the Delta Hospice Society (DHS) on Feb. 25, 2021, providing
the required 365-days notice to end their service agreement without cause.
According to the government, the termination follows the DHS board’s
refusal to comply with the provincial medical assistance in dying (MAiD)
policy.
The former Conservative Party President noted BC’s Health Minister
Adrian Dix made a number of NDP appointments to the health boards in 2017. “These
NDP appointees were used to impose authoritarian control over the hospices”,
said Warawa.
“Last September, the board of directors of the Delta Hospice Society
fired the founder and Executive Director Nancy Macey, who opposed MAiD at the
hospice. This was an individual who had overseen $20+ million raised to support
the Delta Hospice Society.”
“NDP government appointees to Fraser Health are forcing Delta Hospice
Society to provide MAiD to patients against their conscience.”, Warawa concluded.
That statement is clearly supported by yesterday's media release where
Adrian Dix, the Minister of Health stated, “We have made every effort to
support the board to come into compliance and they have been clear that they
have no intention to”.
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| Conservative Party of BC Leader Trevor Bolin |
What option however, did Delta Hospice have, as that ‘support’ being
provided by the government was in fact a heavy-handed demand to comply; or
else.
In responding to yesterday's news that the government will remove the
funding for Delta Hospice, Conservative Party leader Trevor Bolin remarked:
“It is clear this NDP government is forcing their ideology over the
liberty of one’s conscience -- which is why we support the right of hospices to
opt in or out of MAiD. Whether it’s bad policy for a community like Delta -- or
up north in the Peace River -- as government we will think locally, and act
provincially”
“Conservatives support your freedom of conscience”, Bolin
concluded.
Dear Mr Warawa.....first of all I and many others will never vote for you after reading this......you are regurgitating some incredibly wrong information here.
ReplyDeleteFraser health has not bullied the hospice it is listening to the overwhelming response from the greater community, please note the MAJORITY of Deltan's WANT access to MAID, meanwhile the current board insists on shoving their religious views and opinions down the throats of said community.
The current board has taken the position that it won’t provide legally mandated services which the community WANTS to have access to.
This means that dying people and their families suffer needlessly because some religious zealots don’t agree with the law. The board has squashed patients rights in favor if their own personal beliefs and agenda.
How you can champion this as ok is mind boggling and duly noted.....
Anything Angela Ireland says or writes are outright lies. No one in the hospice is FORCED to provide MAID, any staff who does not wish to participate does not have to. In fact MAID is not even administered by the hospice members there is a team that comes in.
Listen clearly to the community and staff/volunteers at the hospice, rather than Ireland and her board. This board has had well over a year to prepare for this and instead of amending their constitution to be in line with the LAW they made a power play by canvassing churches, spreading outright lies and rallying their people to get themselves elected.
The community has responded by signing up in droves for membership but Ms Ireland has all new member applications in a file sitting on her desk waiting for her approval which she is withholding so that they do not have power to vote her and her board out.
They have fired any volunteers or workers who support MAID, these are long time volunteers who have devoted their lives to this hospice.
The hospice DOES have a right to opt out of MAID but they don't have the right to OUR money if they choose not to provide legally mandated services that the majority of the community WANTS. Fraser Health listened to the people and did the right thing.
The full responsibility for the "loss" falls directly on the current board forcing their beliefs on the majority of the local community and taking away our rights to choose to not suffer needlessly.
We the community deserve the freedom of choice. It is our right.
Extremely well said!
ReplyDeleteSounds like Delta needs a new board of directors!Maybe the Conservatives need to take the Hospice training so they can understand what the program is all about!
That way they won’t sound so foolish in their speaking out about a extremely excellent program that dose not need medaling by unqualified people that no nothing about the program and are only looking for their own agenda!