U.N. says Canada’s assisted suicide regime is too extreme
The U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has concerns about Canada expanding MAID to include people whose death isn't reasonably foreseeable and those with mental illness.
A U.N. committee is urging Canada to repeal its expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) for those who are not terminally ill.
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 2027, eligibility will expand to include mental illness, reported the Epoch Times.
A new report recommends that the federal government address “systemic” shortcomings that could lead disabled individuals to seek assisted death.
The government wants to kill you, and the CBC wants your kids to be OK with it
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 9, 2025
You really have to hand it to the Liberal government—they never miss an opportunity to push their death-before-care agenda. And now, their media lapdogs at the CBC are running PR for them, teaching… pic.twitter.com/PmSMpObhOW
The U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities expressed extreme concern about legislative amendments that include people whose death isn't reasonably foreseeable and those with mental illness.
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 committee 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.
Their report criticized MAID expansion for the disabled and suggested the focus should be on supporting them.
Angelina Ireland of Delta Hospice Society describes the Medical assistance in dying program (MAID), as a "predatory regime against the Canadian people."https://t.co/TlhyHul70J pic.twitter.com/1IlDvrWQ89
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) January 27, 2024
Critics of Canada’s MAID legislation felt the report confirmed their concerns that assisted dying is presented as a solution to the systemic challenges faced by disabled people.
ARPA Canada, a Christian advocacy group, supports the committee's MAID recommendations and is asking federal leaders to implement them.
“Allowing MAiD for Canadians who are not dying devalues their lives and implies that they are dispensable,” policy analyst Daniel Zekveld said in a press release.
“At the very least, Canada’s next Prime Minister will need to address the mental illness expansion,” he added.
To be eligible for the procedure, a person must be mentally sound and be assessed by two doctors or nurse practitioners.
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.
EXCLUSIVE: Veterans Affairs Canada tried to hide euthanasia scandal paper trail
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 21, 2024
Sheila Gunn Reid looks at documents exclusively obtained by Rebel News showing how Veterans Affairs Canada attempted to hide a paper trail of evidence relating to caseworkers suggesting ailing… pic.twitter.com/fH0M0JNd3F
Dying With Dignity Canada criticized the U.N. report for repeating claims made in court and mischaracterizing data.
“We cannot solve one injustice by creating another; those with a disability must have the same right to autonomy and end-of-life choice as all people across Canada,” the organization said.
A recent Leger poll found that 65% of Canadians believe people with cognitive illnesses should be able to make an early request for MAID. Even more Quebecers hold this sentiment.
Quebecers who remain mentally fit and face “serious and incurable diseases” like Alzheimer’s were able to request the procedure in advance, contravening the Criminal Code.
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.
Alex Dhaliwal
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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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COMMENTS
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Robert Pariseau commented 2025-04-05 10:44:37 -0400Guess who’s not going to be getting or touching MAiD?
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-04-04 19:47:32 -0400This reminds me of Hartheim Castle in the late 30s and early 40s. Disabled people were seen by the reich as being useless eaters and a burden on the able-bodied public. And the culling of disabled people was the template for the final solution to the Jewish problem. Did I miss something or is it 1938?
