Pamela Wallin calls MAID committee chaotic and exclusionary at leak inquiry Former senator Pamela Wallin testified that the MAID committee process was chaotic and exclusionary, while Ottawa moved to extend the exclusion for mental illness. Ottawa has moved to extend the exclusion for mental illness from medical assistance in dying, as former senator Pamela Wallin testified that the special joint MAID committee was chaotic and exclusionary. Wallin appeared virtually before the rules, procedures and rights of parliament committee on Tuesday from Saskatchewan. She criticized the committee's co-chair, describing him as dismissive and the process as the worst she had seen. She did not name the co-chair in her testimony, but clarified she was not referring to Senator Yonah Martin, whom she called fair and balanced. The other co-chair was Liberal MP Dr. Marcus Powlowski.Wallin Criticizes Committee Process As ChaoticThe inquiry is examining a leaked confidential report. Wallin said she read a newspaper article on June 16, the day before the report was released, citing anonymous sources disclosing the recommendation not to allow MAID for mental illness alone. At least three news organizations published similar stories. Wallin resigned from the Senate earlier this month after 17 years.She told the committee the leak and the process around it were highly irregular and flawed. That same day, she raised the leak with the Speaker of the Senate, who ruled on June 18 that it constituted a prima facie case of privilege. She then moved a motion requesting that the committee investigate. The report recommended the government indefinitely pause the expansion of MAID for mental illness.Government Introduces Bill To Stop MAID ExpansionThe government has since said it reached the same conclusion, and on Tuesday introduced a bill to stop the expansion. If passed, the legislation would ban people who suffer from mental illness alone from accessing MAID. When the MAID report was released in June, a dissenting opinion penned by Wallin and two other senators told the government not to accept the recommendation.They called the committee's process highly irregular and flawed, saying two-thirds of witnesses invited to testify were openly opposed to MAID for mental illness. Responding to Wallin's testimony, Powlowski said he was not the source of any leak. As to how the committee was run, he said they were careful to do everything exactly according to the rules.Co-Chair Powlowski Denies Source Of LeakPowlowski, MP for Thunder Bay--Rainy River, also said the inquiry was a fairly brazen attempt by certain members of the Senate to undermine the democratic process. In a phone interview, he told The Canadian Press he was unavailable.He added that it would not be appropriate for him, as an elected member of Parliament, to answer to a committee motivated by the actions of a couple of senators who have an axe to grind because they are unhappy with the results of the process. Certain senators do not want to admit it is done, Powlowski said with a laugh, adding they say how about we make it next goal wins or two out of three.This was the second meeting in as many weeks for the rules committee, which has been tasked with examining and reporting on the leak. Chair Senator Peter Harder said discussions will resume at the next meeting. Harder said the committee will touch on the idea of asking IT to trace the origin of the leak, or focus on crafting recommendations for future joint committees to avoid similar issues.The controversy has enveloped both the report and the special joint committee of Senate and House of Commons members assembled to study MAID. The committee's work and the leak remain under review. Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.