Controversy continues to surround the Medical Assistance in Dying program in Canada. While assisted suicide was first given legal approval in rare cases, generally for those with terminal illnesses, activists are still pushing to expand MAID to individuals suffering only from mental health issues — or even so-called mature minors, youth under 18 who are suffering from serious illness.

On Monday's Rebel Roundup livestream, hosts David Menzies and Sheila Gunn Reid waded into this tragic topic.

Lobbying groups like Dying With Dignity have been “talking about this for years,” Sheila noted.

“If you think this isn't a possibility, ask yourself about the ability in many provinces for children dubbed mature minors to self-sterilize,” she said, adding these procedures were no longer available, except under extreme circumstances, in Alberta follow Premier Danielle Smith's legislative changes.

“This is a thing, and the Liberals will adopt this,” Sheila continued. “Everything that Dying With Dignity has pushed in the last 20 years has come to fruition; it's just a matter of time.”

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David wondered what the organization's definition of an “immature minor” was, questioning why there's no push for “16- and 17-year-olds that are guilty of first-degree murder” to be charged as adults. He speculated the institutional drive for approving more assisted suicides is to “alleviate the pressure on the health-care system.”

Those with chronic illnesses may “have the Carney cabal” encouraging them to “throw off (their) mortal coil, be done with it. You won't be in any pain anymore — you won't be alive anymore, but still. Do it for your country.”

Canada is “quickly outpacing the more radical regimes of the world on this, like Belgium and the Netherlands,” Sheila said. “It's only a matter of time, and people need to know that it's coming so they can do something about it.”

Tragically, Canadians can “die quicker than (they) can see a specialist by months and years, and you can die quicker than you can get the suffering addressed,” Sheila said.