Group urges scrapping expansion of MAID
OTTAWA • An advocacy group opposed to medical assistance in dying called on the government to block any expansion to the current MAID program to people suffering from a mental illness on Tuesday.
At a press conference, the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition was joined by Conservative MP Ed Fast who said Canada should protect those with mental illness rather allowing them to die, saying it is a “life or death issue.”
“How is it that we, as parliamentarians, have repeatedly supported a strong national suicide prevention program, including a newly established 9-8-8 helpline, when, in the same breath, we advocate for euthanization for those very same individuals?” said Fast.
The government passed legislation last year that temporarily excluded those solely suffering from a mental illness from MAID eligibility. That exclusion is only effective until Mar. 17 and, in February, the government introduced legislation that would further delay the exclusion until Mar. 17, 2027.
The coalition said it supports the three-year delay, but would prefer that the government not expand MAID at all.
“The position of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is obviously that we welcome the delay but we actually oppose the concept of euthanasia for mental illness and the concept of even expanding to this,” said Alex Schadenberg, the coalition’s executive director.
Dr. Paul Saba, a family physician who spoke on behalf of the coalition, said Canada has a responsibility to offer proper remedies for those suffering with mental illness, such as access to psychiatrists and social workers.
Saba said there must be a “wide variety of alternative treatments” available to those who may otherwise resort to MAID “including art, music, dance, recreation, pet and other therapies.” He also said Canada should provide “free medications, affordable housing, and food security” to help with rehabilitation.
In 2021, the government revised MAID legislation to expand eligibility to those “whose death is not reasonably foreseeable” which includes those suffering solely from mental illness.
Last year, the parliamentary Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying tabled its final report where it detailed, among other things, that it was difficult to distinguish between “suicidality” and MAID for those suffering from a mental illness. They recommended assessing each request on a case-by-case basis and supported the extension for exclusion for one year.
The exclusion was agreed upon to allow provinces and territories the time to prepare their health care systems to better assess cases when people may seek MAID for situations where their sole ailment is a mental illness.
“People don’t want to die, they just want to end their psychological distress,” Saba said. “The longer someone lives with a mental illness, the less they are able to provide free and informed consent.”
Garifalia Milousis, a human rights lawyer who spoke on behalf of the coalition, told her story of how she overcame depression with the right supports and called on government to do better.
“Having reached this point, I find it deeply disturbing to see our society is moving to a place where it would offer suicide assistance to those who really need suicide prevention,” she said.
She said that if MAID had been available to her while she was suffering from her depression, she “would not be here today.” Milousis asked what message this would send to those needing support, suggesting that governments should offer “a message of hope” instead.