May 15, 2022 | International
Backgrounder
The Expert Panel on Medical Assistance in Dying and Mental Illness Final Report was tabled in Parliament on May 13, 2022. As required by former Bill C-7, the most recent legislation on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), the Ministers of Health and Justice established the Expert Panel to undertake an independent review of the recommended protocols, guidance and safeguards that apply to requests made for MAID by people who have a mental illness.
The Final Report of the Expert Panel on MAID and Mental Illness was tabled in Parliament on May 13, 2022.
As required by former Bill C-7, the most recent legislation on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), the Ministers of Health and Justice established the Expert Panel to undertake an independent review of the recommended protocols, guidance and safeguards that apply to requests made for MAID by people who have a mental illness.
The Expert Panel dedicated the past nine months to carefully considering Canada’s existing legal framework, safeguards in other jurisdictions and those proposed by Canadian organizations on this topic, international experience, and current evidence from the academic literature and professional practice community.
The members of the Expert Panel were chosen for their expertise in their respective fields and come from a broad range of disciplines, spanning clinical psychiatry, MAID assessment and provision, law, health professional training and regulation, mental health care services, as well as lived experience with mental illness.
The members are:
Mona Gupta (Chair)
Rose Carter (Vice-chair)
Jennifer A. Chandler
Justine Dembo
Sara Goulet
Karen Hetherington
Trevor Morey
Leora Simon
Donna Stewart
Cornelia (Nel) Wieman
More information on the Expert Panel, including member biographies, is available in the Expert Panel’s report.
Although the Expert Panel’s mandate refers to “mental illness”, in order to support greater clarity for practitioners, the Expert Panel chose to use the term “mental disorder” throughout its report. This is because “mental disorder” is the term used by major diagnostic classification systems in Canadian psychiatric practice.
The Expert Panel has made 19 recommendations for establishing a MAID regime that addresses situations regarding incurability, irreversibility, individual capacity, suicidality and the effect of structural vulnerabilities (structural vulnerabilities being the effects of interactions between a person’s sex, gender, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, sexuality, or institutional location, with one’s position in society). The recommendations address these concerns in a manner that respects individual autonomy and Charter-protected rights, while at the same time supporting safety and equity.
The Expert Panel also concluded that many of these concerns are neither unique to requests for MAID from persons with a mental disorder, nor applicable to every requestor who has a mental disorder. In the view of the Expert Panel, their recommendations should apply to any case where similar concerns may arise, regardless of the requester’s diagnosis. However, in keeping with their mandate, the Expert Panel did pay particular attention to the concerns in the context of mental disorders.
The 19 recommendations are explained in the executive summary of the report and focus on:
developing MAID practice standards,
interpreting the grievous and irremediable medical condition eligibility criterion,
addressing potential vulnerabilities including an individual’s capacity, structural vulnerability, whether the decision has been made voluntarily, and suicidality,
supporting a robust assessment process, and
implementing measures to improve the functioning of MAID.
While some of the Expert Panel’s recommendations are directed at federal, provincial and territorial governments, the Panel suggests that the current framework and safeguards for MAID in Canada’s Criminal Code are sufficient and that its recommendations can be fulfilled without further legislative amendments.
The Government of Canada is reviewing the recommendations of the Expert Panel as it shapes future direction in this area. The report will be referred to Parliament’s Special Joint Committee on MAID. The work of the Expert Panel will assist the Committee as it continues its hearings and deliberations in the lead up to its own interim report and recommendations on MAID and mental illness later in June 2022.
May 4, 2022 | International
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2022 – Ottawa – Military Police Complaints Commission of Canada
The Military Police Complaints Commission of Canada’s (MPCC or the Commission) 2021 Annual Report, tabled in Parliament today by the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence, outlines how the Commission has overcome multiple challenges to usher in a “New Reality” for the organization.
Despite a 30% increase in its caseload, the Commission has continued to meet the significant challenges posed by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In addition, the MPCC is working with the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal (CFPM) and the Office of the Judge Advocate General and other stakeholders to establish a plan to implement changes to Part IV of the National Defence Act (NDA) which will improve the effectiveness and fairness of the military police complaints process proposed by the Independent Review Authority.
The Commission was an active participant in the Independent Review process of the NDA, led by former Supreme Court Justice Morris Fish. In his April 2021 report, Justice Fish endorsed many of the MPCC’s key proposals for strengthening its capacity to provide effective and credible oversight of military policing.
The MPCC also had a very productive year in its treatment of complaints, its primary responsibility.
In 2021, the Commission completed Interim Reports in three of four ongoing Public Interest Investigations and issued Final Reports in two of these cases. In one of the cases, the MPCC felt that the military police investigation was so flawed, and the issues raised by the incident so serious, that, for the first time in its 22-year history, it initiated a conduct complaint itself. The complaint was subsequently converted into a Public Interest investigation, which is ongoing.
In the past few years, but especially in 2021, the military justice system has been under considerable scrutiny and criticism for its handling of allegations of sexual misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces. Concerns raised about military police performance regarding sexual misconduct have tended to focus on questions about military police competence and independence: the very attributes which the MPCC’s oversight mandate is meant to strengthen and support. The MPCC’s role, and its capacity to fulfill it, has never been more vital to Canadian military policing.
The 2021 Annual Report, Together in a New Reality, also summarizes selected conduct cases completed by the MPCC in 2021 and includes updates on financial management and the digital transformation underway to better support employees in a virtual environment.
The Annual Report also highlights the many mental health and wellness activities conducted by the Commission in 2021, and its commitment to an inclusive work environment where everyone feels supported and respected. The MPCC was recognized in the media in 2021 as one of the top two organizations in the Federal Public Service for engagement and employee happiness indicators.
In 2021, Hilary C. McCormack retired after six years as Chairperson. Commission Member Bonita Thornton has taken over as Chairperson on an interim basis. Michel Seguin also retired as a member of the Commission after seven years of service, which included a period as Interim Chairperson. The MPCC has welcomed two new Commission Members, Leslie-Anne Wood and Mark Ferdinand, to the team.
Apr 24, 2022 | Business
Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (the “Company”; NYSE “ACH”; SEHK “2600”; SSE “601600”) announces that the Company’s annual report for the 2021 fiscal year filed with the SEC on April 22, 2022 can be accessed via the following link:
http://www.chalco.com.cn/en/report/2021/202204/t20220421_93456.html
A hard copy of the Company’s complete annual report will be provided to any shareholder without charge upon written request to Aluminum Corporation of China Limited at No. 62 North Xizhimen Street, Haidian District, Beijing, PRC 100082.
Background information:
Aluminum Corporation of China Limited is a leading enterprise in non-ferrous metal industry in China. The scope of business of the Company primarily includes bauxite and coal mining, alumina refining, primary aluminum smelting, trading of alumina, primary aluminum, other non-ferrous metal products, coal products and raw and ancillary materials in bulk and power generation. The Company was established as a joint stock limited company incorporated in the People’s Republic of China. The Company’s American Depository Shares and H Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, respectively. The Company’s A Shares are listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
For further information, please visit http://www.chalco.com.cn
Topic: Press release summary
Sectors: Metals & Mining
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