Former senator Pamela Wallin says MAID committee was ‘chaotic and exclusionary’

Former senator Pamela Wallin criticized the co-chairs of a special joint committee on MAID during a recent hearing, describing their behavior as "dismissive" and the process as "chaotic and exclusionary." Wallin, who resigned from the Senate earlier this month after 17 years, testified from Saskatchewan about the committee and its leadership.

She had expressed her concerns about leaked information in June, before a report recommending the indefinite pause of MAID expansion for mental illness was finalized. The committee involved has been examining the leak and reporting on it. Wallin's concerns stem from reading a media article in June about the committee's recommendation, which was not yet public.

She found the committee's process troubling and highlighted the lack of transparency. The co-chair of the committee, Liberal member of Parliament Dr. Marcus Powlowski, denied being the source of the leak, stating that the committee had adhered to the rules meticulously. Powlowski also suggested that certain senators were unhappy with the results, implying they were trying to undermine the democratic process.

The committee is set to continue its discussions at the next meeting, potentially addressing the leak's origin and guidelines for future joint committees.