Combat vet says federal gov’t offered him medical suicide
David Baltzer, a veteran of two tours in Afghanistan, was offered MAID in 2019, possibly making him one of the first Canadian soldiers offered assisted suicide by the government.
A Canadian Forces veteran alleges Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) offered him medical assistance in dying (MAID) when he came seeking help.
David Baltzer, a veteran of two tours in Afghanistan, was offered MAID in 2019, possibly making him one of the first Canadian soldiers offered assisted suicide by the government.
“It made me wonder, were they really there to help us, or slowly groom us to say ‘here’s a solution, just kill yourself,'” Baltzer told the Toronto Sun.
The exact number of veterans offered MAID is unknown, but likely close to 20.
NEW FROM ME: Nearly 3 years after the story broke, another CAF veteran comes forward saying he was offered MAID by Veterans Affairs.
— Bryan Passifiume (@BryanPassifiume) April 25, 2025
David Baltzer, a 2-tour Afghanistan combat veteran, was offered medical suicide in Dec. 2019 after reaching out for helphttps://t.co/CLQPlcQhag
A VAC agent suggested MAID to Baltzer during a December 23, 2019 phone call when he was at his lowest point.
The combat vet was shocked by the suggestion and felt that they wanted him to end his life.
“It just seems to me that they just want us to be like ‘f–k this, I give up, this sucks, I’d rather just take my own life,'” he said.
“That’s how I honestly felt.”
Liberal government orders cost-benefit analysis—but only for suicide prevention
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 9, 2025
MAID has become one of the Liberals' most grotesque tools of cost control.
The Carney Liberals have finally decided a government program deserves an economic analysis. Not the carbon tax. Not Bill… pic.twitter.com/UTc1DoHszG
Baltzer, originally from St. Catharines, Ontario, enlisted at 17 and eventually joined 2 PPCLI at CFB Shilo in Manitoba. In 2006, he was deployed to Afghanistan where he saw combat.
Upon returning home, he was offered counselling and therapy by VAC, which he said was of little help.
CAF veteran Mark Meincke, whose podcast broke the VAC MAID story, said that veterans are often desperate by the time they seek help. He believes that offering MAID to veterans is like "throwing a cinderblock instead of a life preserver."
Baltzer, like many combat vets, struggled with addiction due to his trauma, but is now doing well.
Poilievre takes aim at Trudeau for pushing MAID onto Canadians whose sole underlying condition is mental illness.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 8, 2024
"Justin Trudeau has once again pursued a radical agenda." https://t.co/sQ4CRURfsm pic.twitter.com/uExuAud1IM
Meincke argues that the multiple instances of MAID being offered to veterans across different provinces suggests that it was a policy, not the action of a single rogue caseworker.
In 2023, an internal investigation found that a single VAC caseworker, who was no longer employed there, was responsible.
Baltzer suggested replacing civilian caseworkers with veterans, who can better relate to those scarred by war. He believes it's VAC's job to serve veterans, who have served their country.
Pierre Poilievre says that under a Conservative government, Canadians will continue to have access to MAID, but eligibility will not be expanded.
A Liberal campaign spokesperson believes assisted suicide is a “deeply personal choice.”
A U.N. committee is urging Canada to repeal its expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) for those who are not terminally ill.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 6, 2025
READ MORE: https://t.co/KBD71i76Mb pic.twitter.com/rRHNGhaXtI
The federal government introduced MAID in 2016 for the terminally ill. Track 2, added in 2021, covers those with unbearable suffering from an irreversible, but not terminal, illness or disability.
In March 2027, eligibility will expand to include mental illness, reported the Epoch Times. The Liberals delayed the expansion last March, saying doctors and provinces needed more time.
Eligibility for MAID requires mental soundness and assessment by two doctors.
Critics argue that it is difficult to determine if those with severe mental illness can improve and if their suffering is caused by societal issues rather than illness.
The government wants to kill you, and the CBC wants your kids to be OK with it!
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 7, 2025
The CBC recently ran a state-approved guide on how to explain Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) to kids.
REPORT by @SheilaGunnReid: https://t.co/rtAXDymqx8
A 2024 report by Conservative and NDP MPs advised Ottawa not to expand assisted suicide laws without more provincial and expert consultations.
Federal data shows that more people are seeking assisted death since legalization.
The Department of Health, in its fifth annual report on MAID, found that 15,343 people accessed assisted suicide in 2023, a 15.8% increase from the year prior.
In 2022, assisted suicides were the sixth-leading cause of death in Canada.
Alex Dhaliwal
Journalist and Writer
Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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