The call came from the CWL’s national council during the CWL’s annual convention in Halifax, at which Margaret Jacobs of Elmvale, Ont., was installed as national president.

The CWL wants its provincial councils to petition premiers and ministers to ensure medical institutions and the people who work in them will not be required to perform assisted death or to make direct referrals for patients seeking to die.

In a letter to the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada, the CWL expressed its appreciation to the work of the Alliance in protecting “the legacy of Catholic health care in Canada.”

“These institutions are extremely important to the fabric of Canadian society and offer a place of sanctuary of health care services for all Canadians,” the letter stated.

With respect to palliative care, the CWL is calling on governments at the national and provincial level to cover it as an insured service, and for the federal government to develop a national strategy for uniform standards and delivery of palliative care “as defined by the World Health Organization.”

The CWL is also urging the federal government “to amend the Canada Health Act to include home care as an insured health service.”