Voice your concerns

1/23/2023

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has been advocating against Medical Assistance in Dying (Bill C-14) ever since it was brought forward and passed in 2016. At that time, it was only accessible to those whose death was reasonably foreseeable. An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying) (Bill C-7) was passed on March 17, 2021, that will make it easier for the vulnerable to access Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

Did you know?

MAiD is publicly funded and has been made a health care right by the federal government which implies that it operates under the same guidelines across the country. Palliative care is the responsibility of the provincial health care system and is addressed differently in each province. This reveals a disconnect of responsibility.

Bill C-7 removed the requirement that death be in the reasonably foreseeable future. It has two tracks, one for those whose death is foreseeable and track two for those who have severe long-term conditions.

In Track One, for those whose death is reasonably foreseeable, Bill C-7 removed the requirement of a ten-day reflection period. (Could now be only 1 day!) It reduces the number of witnesses of the request from two persons to one, and that person can be a paid health professional.
Track Two allows MAiD for those who have a severe long-term condition or disability. Although these persons will be legally informed of treatment options, there will no longer be any requirement to attempt those other treatments before choosing MAID. We will be the only country in the world to offer MAiD as a first level treatment! After consent, there will be a 90-day reflection period before administering MAiD.

Bill C-7 passed on March 17 2021 allowing people with mental illness as their sole criterion to choose MAiD. There was a “sunset clause” added to the Bill so that proper safeguards and requirements for MAiD under such circumstances will be put to committee, studied, and decided upon within two years, March 17, 2023. On December 15, 2022 Justice Minister David Lametti and the Minister for Mental health and Addictions, Carolyn Bennet, announced the government would delay the expansion of MAiD, but not how long the delay will be. Parliament resumes sitting on January 30.

Bill C-7 has raised the issue of "ableism" - a prejudice in which persons with disabilities are considered unable to lead a life of quality. Disability rights advocates are concerned that Track Two will encourage MAiD to be favoured over expensive supports for the disabled or those with severe long term chronic conditions. There is also concern over what safeguards Bill C-7 will provide for those with mental illness.

When Parliament resumes, there will be four working weeks in which they can draft legislation to modify Bill C-7 before the “sunset clause” expires on March 17, 2023.

We can express our concerns to our elected officials during this window of opportunity.

Article and Letter templates are prepared and written by St. Peter’s CWL Resolution and Legislation Committee.

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