Conservatives call on feds to delay MAID expansion

Tories side with doctors’ calls for ‘clear standards’

OTTAWA • Conservatives are calling for a delay to the expansion next March of medical assistance in dying for people suffering from mental illnesses.

In a statement Friday, MPS Michael Cooper, Stephen Ellis and Dominique Vien sided with the position taken by the Association of Chairs of Psychiatry in Canada, which includes heads of psychiatry departments of Canada’s 17 medical schools.

“Literal life-or-death legislation deserves thorough review and consultation to ensure the most vulnerable people are protected,” said the Conservative MPS.

A statement from the office of federal Health Minister Jean-yves Duclos says Canada is committed to implementing MAID for those with a mental disorder by keeping their safety and security at the forefront.

“We will continue to listen to the experts, including those at the front lines and those with lived experience, and collaborate with our provincial and territorial counterparts to ensure that a strong framework is in place to guide MAID assessors and providers before MAID becomes available to those for whom mental disorders is the sole underlying condition.”

The office did not say if the implementation expected on March 17 would be delayed.

As that date approaches, the opposition is accusing the Liberals of doing too little to ensure the mental well-being of Canadians, notably by failing to fund a Canada Mental Health Transfer to provide support — as promised in the last election.

Speaking in Vancouver Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not directly address the issue of MAID for people suffering from mental illnesses nor the requests from the Conservatives and the heads of psychiatric departments to delay.

“The issue of medical assistance and dying is a deeply personal one. It is a deeply difficult one for individuals and families to take on at an extraordinarily challenging moment in their lives,” said Trudeau. “And it’s something that we have to ensure is gotten right.”

“We will continue to listen to experts, work with partners to make improvements where we need to, to make sure that the regime we have, that is all about defending people’s rights and giving them choices, is also protecting people.”

The issue of MAID has been causing more and more controversy, with Quebec physicians recommending it also be extended to sick infants and former Canadian Forces members with PTSD coming forward to say a caseworker in Veterans Affairs suggested they apply for MAID to end their life.

Trudeau said on Friday that veterans being offered MAID was “absolutely unacceptable” and the government had taken action as soon as it heard of the cases.

The special parliamentary committee on MAID tabled an interim report on mental disorders in June, in which it presented its concerns about the fast-approaching deadline. Duclos took note of those concerns in a letter sent in October but said the federal government remained committed to working with partners to improve access to mental health services to Canadians.

Dr. Jitender Sareen, head of the psychiatry department at the University of Manitoba, told The Canadian Press “We’re in the middle of an opioid epidemic. And we’re in the middle of a mental health pandemic. POSTCOVID, wait times for access to treatment are the highest ever,” he said.

“As a group of department heads in the country who are responsible for medical education both for psychiatrists and residents, we’re saying, ‘Look, let’s put things aside as far as whether we agree with this law change or not.’ We’re just concerned we’re not ready for March.”