Montreal, November 18, 2011 – Lac-Saint-Louis Member of Parliament Francis Scarpaleggia hosted a press conference today to comment on the release of the final report of the all-party Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care. The landmark report, officially released in Ottawa yesterday, urges specific policy action on palliative care, elder abuse and suicide prevention.
“The committee is a great example of what parliamentarians from all parties working together can accomplish in terms of calling attention to issues that are vitally important to Canadian families but that do not always attract the attention of the daily headlines,” said Scarpaleggia.
The report, entitled “Not to be Forgotten,” is the product of a series of consultations, discussions and extensive research with stakeholders across the country. One such consultation was hosted by Scarpaleggia in Dorval on December 17, 2010, and brought together local experts from the fields of palliative care, pain management, seniors housing and many others during three informative sessions.
“It was clear from witness testimony, including at our excellent hearings in the West Island last December, that people are deeply concerned with end-of-life care, mental health issues including among our youth, and the rights of seniors and people living with disabilities,” added the West Island M.P.
According Scarpaleggia, “We are extremely fortunate, here on the West Island, to be able to benefit from such a well-developed network of community organizations dedicated to those citizens who need help dealing with the very issues that are the focus of the committee’s report.”
Founded in 2010, the PCPCC is a cross-partisan, ad-hoc committee of the House of Commons. The report can be accessed electronically at www.pcpcc-cpspsc.com.
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For more information, please contact Laura Gareau, Special Assistant to Francis Scarpaleggia, at francis.scarpaleggia.a3@parl.gc.ca or 613-995-8281.
