Canadian Human Rights Commission concerned about euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Canadian Human Rights Commission has brought their concerns about Canada's euthanasia law to the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

Meagan Gilmore reported on March 10, 2025 in an article that was published by Canadian Affairs that:

The Canadian Human Rights Commission and dozens of other organizations have brought concerns about Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) laws to the United Nations.

The Canadian Human Rights Commission “remains deeply concerned by ongoing reports that people with disabilities are turning to MAID because they cannot access the basic supports and services they need to live with dignity,” the commission wrote in a January submission to the UN. The submission was delivered to a UN committee studying Canada’s compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Gilmore explained the position of the Canadian Human Rights Commission:

In its submission to the UN, the commission said it “remains concerned about Canada’s lack of progress in implementing the recommendations that have come from the international human rights system.”

Many people with disabilities struggle to find adequate housing or medical care, or move to long-term care facilities to access needed supports, the submission says.

These factors may cause some people with disabilities to pursue MAID, the commission says.

“Accessing MAID should not be the result of this inequality, nor should it be the end result of the State’s failure to fulfill its human rights obligations,” the committee said, repeating concerns it has raised twice already in Canada.

Gilmore reported that:

A coalition of 49 organizations wrote one large submission criticizing Canada’s progress. Another 20 organizations — including the Canadian Human Rights Commission — wrote individual submissions.

A committee of disability experts reviews each country’s report and recommends how they can improve. Canada is scheduled to appear before this committee on March 10 and 11.

Several Canadian disability organizations believe that the Canadian government should abolish Track 2 euthanasia approvals, that being approvals for people who are not terminally ill. Gilmore reported:

Track 2 MAID violates several convention rights, including the right to life, these organizations say.

“Track 2 MAID is positioned as health care serving to end suffering; it is therefore promoted with great conviction,” the coalition wrote. “In practice, people with disabilities in Canada are being denied their right to life.” 

Track 2 MAID “normaliz[es] suicide,” the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action wrote in its submission. It is based on the belief that it is better for some people with disabilities to be dead, the alliance said, calling it  “a modern form of eugenics.” 

These organizations also argued that euthanasia should not be extended to people with mental illness in March 2027.

Gilmore reported that the UN Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have conducted two reports on Canada's euthanasia law. 

In 2017 the UN Commission recommended that people requesting MAID have access to a “dignified life” through palliative care, home care, disability support and “other measures that support human flourishing.” while in 2021 three UN UN human rights experts warned Ottawa that: 

Track 2 MAID would violate Canada’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by creating a “social assumption … that it is better to be dead than live with a disability.” 

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition recognizes that Track 2 euthanasia approvals (approvals based on an irremediable medical condition with no terminal condition) are particularly discriminatory towards people with disabilities but we also recognize that Track 1 euthanasia approvals (people with a terminal condition) are also discriminatory towards people with disabilities as these decisions are most often made based on disabling conditions that occur as a person approaches death.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition urges Canada's federal and provincial governments to completely assess the reality of Canada's euthanasia law rather than expand the eligibility of MAiD to people living with mental illness and to people who have made an advance request.