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A Nova Scotia senator has announced he is retiring from the role early due to health issues.
Dr. Stan Kutcher was appointed to the Senate in 2018.
Kutcher, 74, would have reached the mandatory retirement age for senators when he turns 75. But he said a health condition has made his job too difficult to continue.
“On good days I can push through what the pain is, but if I get bad days, the pain is really bad and the fatigue is really bad. So I can’t focus on my work,” he told CBC Radio’s Maritime Noon.
Kutcher said he has severe and intermittent neuropathy from an inflammatory syndrome after a shingles infection.
He said the job of senator is rigorous, and requires careful thought and about 60 hours of work a week.
“I just can’t unfortunately do that,” Kutcher said. “So I don’t think it’s reasonable for me to continue in this position because when I took the position, I committed to doing my very best and I can’t do my very best.”
Kutcher, a renowned expert in youth mental health, said he’s proud of the work he did as senator and his approach to the job, including listening to people with compassion and critically analyzing the issues.
He highlighted his efforts on several pieces of legislation during his time in the role, including pushing for the expansion of medical assistance in dying to people suffering solely from a mental illness, ensuring mental health assessments of federally incarcerated people, and work that led to the national suicide prevention framework.
“I had a privilege to be in the position,” Kutcher told CBC Nova Scotia’s News at Six. “It’s an incredible place to be, to be able to serve Canadians in this way, but it’s time for someone who can give the amount of time and effort that this position actually really takes.”
Kutcher will make his retirement speech in the Red Chamber on Thursday.
Kutcher, who was appointed to the Senate in December 2018, said he has health issues and can no longer perform his duties at the level he expects of himself.
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