Thoughts on BC Politics and More

The Conservatives and NDP sit on opposite sides of the spectrum, but they’re voicing similar concerns about the trajectory of Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) regime. The two opposition parties could be moving toward an unlikely alliance against further expansion, with a report on extending MAID eligibility to the mentally ill expected by summer ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

Canada’s state-assisted suicide program, called MAiD, was sold by the Liberal government as a “stringently limited, carefully monitored system,” a rare option of last resort for people at the very end of life. New data from Health Canada show that in 2024, 16,499 Canadians died by MAiD — 5.1 percent of all deaths in the country. Does it not follow logically, from these data, that Ottawa’s original framework has, cloaked in the rhetoric of progressively humane ideals, insidiously crept into something far more sinister than what Supreme Court justices, in their wisdom, affirmed in a society-altering Charter of Rights ruling in 2015? Prior analysis from Cardus, a Canadian faith-based think tank, documented exponential increases from 1,018 deaths in 2016 to 13,241 in 2022 — about a thirteenfold rise — and notes that MAiD has become Canada’s fifth leading cause of death, roughly tied with cerebrovascular disease and behind cancer, heart disease, and accidents. Under current federal law, eli...

In her autobiography, famed mystery novelist Agatha Christie wrote that, “The saddest thing in life and the hardest to live through, is the knowledge that there is someone you love very much whom you cannot save from suffering.” Christie was speaking as a parent watching her daughter learn that her husband had been killed at Normandy. Even sadder may be the plight of a parent with a severely ill or disabled child for whom there is no cure.  But is it so sad as to warrant euthanasia?  Anna Farrow takes an unflinching look at efforts to expand Canada’s MAID program to include babies. If Canada eventually legalizes the “compassionate” killing of infants, Farrow points out, it will be following in the heartless footsteps of the country that pioneered the concept – Nazi Germany ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

In the 1990s, the term medical assistance in dying was not used prominently to discuss the possibility of individuals requesting help to end their life due to specific circumstances. We were more likely to be exposed to descriptions such as physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, particularly after the highly publicized incarceration of Dr. Jack Kevorkian in the United States. Since June 2016, Canada has had federal regulations to allow for medical assistance in dying. Nine years later, Canadians do not appear to be particularly upset about the guidelines ... ... the issue becomes more polarizing when the “on demand” element is introduced. While almost three in five Canadians (58 per cent, unchanged) think medical assistance in dying should be permitted, but only under specific circumstances, there are sizeable shifts in the two more extreme views ... CLICK HERE for the full story

IMAGE CREDIT:    Canadian Medical Protective Association A widowed, elderly man with a body tremor was approved for medical assistance in dying (MAID) despite loneliness and poor self-esteem motivating his application, a new report from Ontario’s chief coroner’s office says. The man, called Mr. C in the report, had an essential tremor, which causes uncontrollable shaking, often of the hands. Tremors are incurable neurological conditions, but not fatal.  Mr. C’s tremors had made it difficult for him to participate in hobbies and social activities. A widower in his 70s, he “did not perceive that he had much to offer in a new relationship” because of the tremor, the report says.  Mr. C said he “experienced profound hopelessness and loneliness” and could not find meaningful relationships or fulfillment after his spouse’s death. His MAID provider noted he applied because of bereavement and emotional suffering ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Dr. Francois de Wet dreads March 2027, when Canada plans to allow adults suffering only from mental illness to qualify for medically assisted deaths.  “I’m very, very worried about it,” he said.  De Wet — a family doctor with 30 years of experience — worries about how this expansion could impact his patients who struggle with mental health.  De Wet is the chief of staff at the Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit, Nvt., the territory’s only hospital. In June, Nunavut declared suicide a continuing crisis, repeating a declaration from 2015 ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling in Carter v Canada, which led to Canada legalizing euthanasia. Carter struck down the complete criminal prohibitions against both assisting suicide—helping a person cause their own death, such as by prescribing pills—and committing homicide with the victim’s consent, such as by giving a patient a lethal injection. Carter overturned the Court’s earlier ruling in Rodriguez (1993) in which it had upheld the prohibition on assisting suicide. Much had changed since Rodriguez, the Court reasoned in Carter. In 1993, no Western democracy permitted medical assistance in dying (MAID). Since then, several jurisdictions legalized assisted suicide or euthanasia or both, starting with Oregon in 1994. In the Court’s view, evidence from other jurisdictions demonstrated “the efficacy of safeguards for the vulnerable.” It’s striking to compare Oregon and Canada today ... CLICK HERE for the full story

  Advocates emphasize the need for suicide prevention measures over MAiD for mentally ill Canadians By Susan Korah Speakers at a rally on Parliament Hill demanded the federal government provide more life-saving supports for those deeply suffering from mental illness rather than giving them access to medical assistance in dying (MAiD). Expanding MAiD to people solely based on mental illness was to begin Mar. 17, but Bill C-62 is calling for the proposed legislation to be delayed by three years. Bill C-62 has already passed in the House of Commons and is currently being debated in the Senate. Critics of the expansion emphasize that while the delay is welcome, opening the door to MAiD for the mentally ill is a dangerous and unacceptable option and should be shelved forever. “Mental illness distorts reality, and if I had the opportunity to choose MAiD when I was going through a dark period in my life, I wouldn’t be alive today,” said Lia Milousis, a 27-year-old Ottawa lawye...

Expanding MAiD to the mentally ill takes us down a slippery slope, critics warn Canada is already too far down the slippery slope with regard to medically assisted dying and should aim for “living with dignity” as opposed to “dying with dignity,” say proponents of more compassionate alternatives for the mentally ill and other vulnerable populations. The Liberal government’s latest move – the introduction of Bill C-62 to postpone for three years the decision to introduce a contentious bill to expand MAiD to people on the sole basis of mental illness – is seen as a reprieve by stakeholders. Bill C-62 has passed its third reading in the House of Commons, but those opposing the expansion insist it would be far better to scrap the expansion altogether and not to open the door to medically assisted dying solely on the basis of mental illness. The proposed delay was recommended by a report of the Special Joint Committee on MAiD tabled on Jan. 29, 2024. Chaired by Senator Yonah Mar...