So Canada will soon have a legal framework for euthanasia despite the fact that Harper fought it tooth and nail.
I’m not 100% certain how I feel about this, but I think that’s normal. Like many issues relating to life and death it’s complicated so this is a pretty normal feeling I suppose. In fact, I tend to distrust people who don’t have any ambiguous thought at all when it comes to political-medical issues.
In either case, it’s good to know that even under one of the most right wing governments Canada has had in the past half century, the framework of the Constitution is standing up for fundamental freedoms in a way that evolves with the times. This has had me thinking a lot about the long term effect of having a modern legal framework which is based on 20th century norms of justice and human rights. As controversial as some elements are, we have a lot to be thankful here and we should be happy that the court under McLachlin has managed to remain largely free of interference from both Chrétien and Harper.
I know that some on the right have portrayed this as judicial activism (and not in a positive way) but I’m very happy that our legal system at the judicial level at least, still seems to be largely aloof of the government. I really can’t imagine that the country would be a better place if it weren’t.