Case manager who talked assisted dying with veterans no longer employed
By The Canadian Press on December 20, 2022.
OTTAWA – Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay’s office says an employee who spoke to veterans about accessing medical assistance in dying is no longer working with the department. City privacy concerns, spokeswoman Erika Lashbrook Knutson will not say whether the Veterans Affairs Canada case manager, who has not been named publicly, was fired or resigned. The employee’s departure follows reports that some former Armed Forces members who contacted Veterans Affairs for help were offered information about assisted dying. MacAulay told a parliamentary committee last month that an investigation had found that a single case manager acting alone had raised the issue with four different veterans since 2019. The minister added at the time that the case had been referred to the RCMP, but neither his office nor the Mounties have provided further information. The issue has highlighted concerns about plans to expand Canada’s assisted-dying regime to include people whose sole underlying health condition is a mental disorder – a change that was set to happen in March, but will now be delayed. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2022. 8-7
