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Assisted suicide debate reopened in Canada

» Violation of the Canadian Constitution or human right?

Brittney MacDonald
Staff Writer

[3 one of the first times since
the 1993 Sue Rodriguez

case, the debate on assisted
suicide has been brought to
Canadian media’s attention. The
current legal status of assisted
suicide, or the “right-to-die” as
supporters are calling it, has
once again come into question
for the Supreme Court.

In an October 14 press
conference held in Sept-Tles,
Quebec, Prime Minister
Stephen Harper assured the
public that the Canadian
government had no intention
of revisiting the right-to-
die debate: “These difficult

: questions around right-to-die

: and assisted suicide—as you

: know they were discussed a

: couple of years back in the

: Parliament of Canada [referring
: to the examination of the law

: in 1993], the government of

: Canada at this time has no

: intention of reopening that

: debate.”

Many right-to-die

: supporters do not approve of

: Harper's response. Different

: organizations representing

: ascope of people from the

: disabled to the terminally ill or
: injured and their families have
: come forward and petitioned

: the Supreme Court to reopen

: the debate on the grounds

: that not doing so violates the

: Canadian Constitution.

The nature of their

: argument centres on the

: fact that physically healthy

: individuals have the right to

: take their own life without legal
: penalty; however, it’s a crime

: if someone helps another who

: requires assistance in ending

: their life due to a physical

: impediment, disability, or coma.
: For the right-to-die supporters,
: this is discrimination.

Grace Pastine, litigation

: director for the BC Civil

: Liberties Association—a group
: seeking to legalize assisted

: suicide—told the Canadian

: Press, “The fact of the matter

: is that Canadians are suffering
: against their wishes at the end
: of life and they are asking the

: court for change.

“Now is the time for Canada

: to decriminalize physician-

: assisted dying and give seriously
: ill patients the dignity and

: compassion that they deserve.”

However, the government

: and supporters of upholding

: the current laws fear that

: decriminalization of assisted

: suicide will lead to exploitation.
: Changing the assisted suicide

: laws has the possibility of

: making it far easier for someone
: to negatively influence an

: emotionally vulnerable person

: to commit suicide, while not

: suffering consequence in their

: role in that person’s death.

Taylor Hyatt, a 22-year-

old woman with cerebral
: palsy who is also a member
> of the Euthanasia Prevention

: Coalition, is afraid that

: legalization of assisted suicide

: will create the wrong mentality
: for society regarding the

: disabled, that the people are

: “better off dead than disabled,”
: as Hyatt told CBC.

As of October 15, Supreme

: Court hearings are underway to
: determine whether the current

: assisted suicide laws are in

: violation of the Constitution. If
: so, the case will force Canadian

: Parliament to re-examine the

: laws, but not necessarily change
: them or the current legal status
: of assisted suicide.

Assisted suicide is legal in

: various forms in Switzerland,

: Belgium, Luxembourg, and the

: Netherlands, as well as several

: US states, most notably Oregon.

 

Douglas’ Uganda Quiz Night returns for fourth year

» All proceeds go towards literacy projects

Angela Espinoza
News Editor
Minews
@theotherpress.ca

 

he fourth annual Uganda

Quiz Night will be taking
place on October 28. The night
will be hosted by the Douglas
College Foundation and
Coquitlam Sunrise Rotary at
the David Lam campus, with all
proceeds going towards literacy
projects in Uganda.

This year’s event coincides
with the 10-year anniversary
of Douglas Child, Family and
Community Studies (CFCS)
students providing practicum
placements in Uganda. “[Since
2005] we've been sending

: students from CFCS programs

: to Uganda where the students

: undertake a 10-week practicum,”
: said Douglas CFCS professor

: Wendy Parry.

The CFCS programs

: involved in the Uganda project
: include, but are not limited

: to, Therapeutic Education,

: Classroom and Community

: Support, Early Childhood

: Education, and as of this year

: Psychiatric Nursing. Parry

: stated that up to 15 students

: from various programs would be :
: part of the upcoming Uganda
: trip.

“Our students are an

: integral part of that [education]
: process, so they'll be working

: with the Uganda community

: to develop literacy projects,”

: said Parry. “We have two

: projects that we hope we'll be

: able to undertake this year: to

: support the Masaka Library

: and to support the COTFONE

: [Community Transformation

: Foundation Network]

: School which is a school and

: organization.” Parry added that
: Douglas students are hoping to
: build a library for the Uganda

: school.

As for the Quiz Night, “It’s

open to anybody who wants to

get involved [and] we encourage

: the public to come,” said Parry.

Teams of four-to-six

: people will compete against

: each other in the spirit of fun.

: Those who register solo will be
: teamed up with others. “This

: year were going to have a team

: spirit award,” said Parry. “Any

: team that either dresses up or

: distinguishes themselves in any
: way” will have a chance to win

: the award.

Coquitlam Mayor Richard

: Stewart will be returning as

: emcee from last year’s Quiz

: Night. Parry stated that

: questions during the Quiz

: Night have a wide range, from
: history to sports to current

: events. Former Coquitlam

: Public Library director Rhian
: Piprell will once again be the

: quizmaster, selecting a list

: of skill-testing questions,

: including some with a focus on
: Uganda.

There will also bea silent

auction with over 20 items for
: attendees to bid on, including

: Uganda-themed crafts. Door
: prizes and a cash bar will also be
: available.

“Every year we get bigger

: and better,” said Parry. “This

: year we hope to have 30 tables,

: and we're holding it in a bigger

: space.” The 2014 Quiz Night will
: bein the David Lam campus’

: large cafeteria.

Those interested in

: attending can register online

: at http://goo.gl/2jNHMW or

: via phone at (604)-777-6168.

: Registration will remain open

: until October 27, and attendees
: must be 19 years of age or older.
: Registration is $20 per person

: and can be paid the evening

: of the Quiz Night, which runs

: from 7 to 10 p.m.

 

Peter DeGroot shooting stirs controversy

» Slocan lockdown ended in death of perpetrator

. Angela Espinoza
News Editor
Minews
@theotherpress.ca

 

ps DeGroot was the target
of an intense manhunt
Thanksgiving weekend in
Slocan, BC. DeGroot allegedly
shot at police on October 9
before running into a nearby
forest; he was killed on October
13.

The initial altercation
between DeGroot and police
allegedly involved DeGroot
firing at several officers who
were responding to a dispute
between two people—the

: dispute may have involved

: DeGroot. As police fired back,

: DeGroot escaped into a wooded
: area and was suspected of hiding :
: there during the search. :

Police kept the small town

: of Slocan under lockdown

: between October 9 and

: October 11 as they searched for

: DeGroot. At the time, DeGroot
: was reported to be armed and

: dangerous, roaming the woods

: with several weapons. Although
: police did not locate DeGroot

: until October 13, witnesses

: believed DeGroot had left the

: inhabited area, leading police to
: eventually lift the lockdown.

DeGroot was located ina

: cabin on October 13 where, after

: what RCMP Superintendent
: Frank Smart referred to as an
: “interaction,” DeGroot was shot

and killed by police.
Ina public statement, Smart

Since DeGroot’s death

: was announced on October

: 14, friends have come forward

: revealing DeGroot may have

: suffered from various mental

: issues. DeGroot had apparently
: lived in Victoria throughout

: the ‘gos, and as of late had

: been taking care of numerous

: animals on his own, while, as

: CTV reports, he had financial
: difficulties and resided in a van.

As more information of

public, many have expressed

: support for DeGroot regarding
: his well-being prior to his

: final altercation with police. A

: Facebook memorial page for

: DeGroot currently has over 300
: likes, and provides more possible :
: details on DeGroot’s volunteer
: care-taking of animals.

Dione DeGroot Beard

: posted to the Facebook page

: stating, “This was a predictable
: outcome. It did not have to end
: this way.’

Despite the public support

: of those who knew DeGroot

: and those who feel they are not
: DeGroot, who was 45 at the time :
: : of his death, has been made
: said, “This was a serious incident :
: and weare providing ongoing

: support to the families of the

: deceased as well as to the police
: officers involved.”

receiving the full story, police

: maintained they felt DeGroot
: wasa serious threat following

: his alleged October 9 shooting
: attempt. DeGroot was known

: to police, albeit for publicly

: unknown reasons. There is

: currently an investigation

being performed by the

: Independent Investigations

: Office, a BC police watchdog.

: Reasons behind the watchdog

: investigation include the limited
: amount of information that

: has been revealed regarding

: the “interaction” that lead to

: DeGroot’s death.