Pierre Poilievre says that if his party forms the next government, Canadians will continue to have access to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), but eligibility will not be expanded.

“People will continue to have the right to make that choice, the choice for themselves. We are not proposing to expand medical assistance in dying beyond the existing parameters,” he told reporters.

Poilievre made the statement during a campaign stop in his Ottawa-area riding on Saturday.

The Conservative Party of Canada previously opposed assisted dying, including for individuals who are not terminally ill, and when their death is “not reasonably foreseeable.”

Canada 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.

To be eligible for the procedure, a person must be mentally sound and be assessed by two doctors or nurse practitioners.

Psychiatrists and others criticized the difficulty of determining if those with severe mental illness could improve and if their suffering was related to poverty and lack of social support.

“We believe that we also need better health care so that people have all sorts of options,” Poilievre said.

Liberal campaign spokesperson Yana Titarenko told the National Post that assisted suicide is a “deeply personal choice.”

A recent Leger poll found that 65% of Canadians believe people with cognitive illnesses should be able to make an early request for MAID. 

“We remain committed to safeguarding the most vulnerable in our society and working closely with provinces and territories on this matter,” she said. “Our approach will always prioritize compassion, dignity, and the necessary support for those in need.”

On January 29, 2024, Conservative and NDP MPs released a report urging Ottawa not to expand assisted suicide legislation without sufficient provincial and expert consultations.

Federal data instead shows an increase in individuals seeking assisted death since it became legal.

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.

Of the remaining applicants, most (2,906) died before their requests were fulfilled, some (915) were found ineligible, and others (496) withdrew their requests.

The U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also penned a report urging the federal government to repeal its expansion of MAID for those who are not terminally ill. 

Their report argued that the concept of “choice” creates a false dichotomy, as it allows governments to kill disabled persons, without guaranteeing support and de-emphasizing the many support options that would allow them to lead dignified lives.

Almost all MAID recipients, with a median age of 78, had a terminal illness, most often cancer. In 2022, assisted suicides were the sixth-leading cause of death in Canada.

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