Complaint filed to medical regulator over MP saying fentanyl 'readily available' in MAID report

Remarks made by a member of Parliament, who is also a doctor, suggesting illicit drugs such as fentanyl are a “painless” and “readily available” option to end one’s life are now the subject of a complaint filed to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

The complainant, Claire Brosseau, a 49-year-old woman who has been trying to get access to medical assistance in dying for persistent mental disorders that began when she was a child, said she was triggered by Dr.

Marcus Powlowski's "irresponsible, thoughtless and dangerous" words.

She takes issue with his supplementary opinion, attached to a special joint committee report published in June on medical assistance in dying and mental disorders as a sole underlying medical condition.

In it, he wrote: “The option to end one’s life remains, irrespective of MAID, readily available in Canada.

Furthermore, there are painless options readily available.

One example being illicit narcotics like fentanyl.

To my dismay it is arguably easier for my teenage sons to access fentanyl in my hometown of Thunder Bay than it is for me (a doctor) to renew my Lipitor prescription (a cholesterol medication)." The quote is included in Powlowski's written argument against expanding access to MAID for mental illness until fundamental concerns are addressed.

He outlines his reasons, saying it is impossible to determine that a person's mental illness is irremediable, as required by law.

He also raises the issue of access to mental health services and social supports, and says testimony from practitioners suggests there is no consensus on how to distinguish suicidality from rational decision-making.

In a section titled "Why do we try to prevent suicide?," Powlowski analyzes the role of authorities in intervening in suicide attempts in order to prevent harm, versus personal autonomy.

It's there that the lines Brosseau takes issue with are written.

From Brosseau's perspective, “He gave us information on how to kill ourselves,” she said in an interview from bed in Toronto, where she says she spends most of her days, hair bundled in a bandana.

Her written complaint has been reviewed by The Canadian Press, along with her emails with an investigator from the regulatory college, who said in the correspondence that Powlowski has until Oct.