Parliament pauses expansion of euthanasia to people with mental illness
CLF is thankful to report that Bill C-62 passed in the Senate and received royal assent yesterday. Many human rights advocates have urged Parliament to halt the expansion of assisted suicide to people whose sole underlying condition is mental illness. Without Bill C-62, the expansion would have automatically occurred on March 17 of this year. That date has now been pushed to March 17, 2027.
Christian Legal Fellowship has long advocated for the rights of people with disabilities. In early February, we sent an open letter signed by over 170 lawyers and law students to all Parliamentarians, urging them to pass Bill C-62 quickly, as well as advocating for a rethink on euthanasia and assisted suicide for those who are not dying. While Bill C-62 gives us a three-year reprieve on the expansion of euthanasia, there is much work that must be done to support Canadians who wish to live with dignity, rather than offering them euthanasia. Canada has been called out by human rights experts domestically and internationally for failing to uphold the equal and fundamental rights of people with disabilities. For now, we celebrate this small win, as we resolve to continue to advocate for justice for those who have been marginalized.
Derek Ross, CLF’s Executive Director and General Counsel, says, “Canadians with mental illness deserve the most accessible and effective life-affirming supports, not a suggestion that a solution to their suffering is to terminate their lives. We are thankful that, for now, Canada has avoided enshrining in law such a profoundly harmful and inherently ableist message.”
André Schutten, Senior Counsel with CLF, adds, “Rather than ending discrimination, the expansion of MAID actually perpetuates discrimination against Canadians with mental and physical disabilities, and removes more people from the full benefit of Canada’s criminal law protections. Furthermore, expanding MAID institutionalizes ableist presumptions about the value of life with a mental illness and portrays death as preferable to a life with a disability.”
CLF will continue to call on Parliament to not only permanently cancel the planned expansion of MAID for mental illness, but also to take the necessary steps to repeal Bill C-7’s expansion of MAID for Canadians with disabilities who are not dying or near death. We remain committed to our longstanding advocacy for the interests of marginalized Canadians, including access to medical and communal assistance in living.