Celebrating hope, milestones and success.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

As we celebrate the Christmas Season with hope we also celebrate our milestones and successes with hope for the New Year.

We celebrate that today, the EPC blog surpassing 13 Million pageviews. The last year alone, the EPC blog had more than 3.6 Million pageviews. 

We regularly receive emails from people from around the world either thanking us for the research and information that is published on the blog or asking us for specific information.

There are more reasons to celebrate.

2025 has been a great challenge, but we are pleased with the success of the Slovenian referendum and our soon-to-be-released film: Life Worth Living.

The film project grew out of our work on the successful Slovenian referendum campaign, as well as our work with partners in Victoria, Australia to prevent the expansion of their assisted suicide law and our promotion of Bill C-218, the bill that is sponsored by Tamara Jansen MP which, if passed, would prevent euthanasia for mental illness alone in Canada.

While working on the film project, we shared excellent footage of interviews concerning Canada’s experience with euthanasia, that was used in the Slovenian referendum. The Slovenian referendum was a great success with 53.5% rejecting the Slovenian euthanasia law that had passed in their national legislature last July.

The Slovenian referendum taught us some important lessons and provided great hope for the future. Some of the lessons concern messaging: euthanasia (MAiD) is about poisoning people to death, do not be afraid to tell the truth, as well as euthanasia concerns healthcare and pension savings. Euthanasia reduces costs by killing people.

We also shared footage with our partners in Victoria, Australia who were working to prevent the expansion of their euthanasia law.

We have not fully recovered the  cost of the film, which was around $50,000. Consider making a Christmas donation to EPC and enable us to fully recover the cost of the film. 

Donation to the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (Donation Link).

Watch the Trailer for our powerful film Life Worth Living (Trailer Link).

We also created footage to specifically support the passage of Bill C-218. For instance, Alicia Duncan, whose mother died by euthanasia in 2021 based on mental health issues, shared her powerful story and Kelsi Sheren shared her story of living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, after serving Canada in the military in Afghanistan.

The film - Life Worth Living will be available in January. We need our supporters, to organize screenings of the film. You may also want a speaker, such as myself, to lead a discussion forum, after the screening.

The film also features: Roger Foley, a Canadian living with a significant disability who has been pressured by hospital staff to request euthanasia, Dr David D'Souza, a pain specialist in Ontario, Dr Catherine Ferrier, a Gerontologist and a leader of Physicians' Alliance Againt Euthanasia in Quebec, Dr Will Johnston, a family physician and leader of Euthanasia Resistance BC, Kathy Matusiak Costa, Executive Director of Compassionate Community Care and myself.

Press Conference on December 5, 2025

Bill C-218 had its first hour of debate in parliament on December 5, 2025. EPC organized a press conference at the Parliamentary Press Gallery on December 5 that featured: Kelsi Sheren, a military veteran who experienced PTSD. Kelsi is also a social media influencer. Alicia Duncan, whose mother died by euthanasia in 2021 based on mental health issues, Dr Paul Saba a family physician in Lachine Quebec and Alex Schadenberg (myself). Kelsi and Alicia joined by remote link.

(Link to the EPC Press Conference)

After the press conference Dr. Saba and I stayed to witness the Bill C-218 debate in the House of Commons. 

Tamara Jansen MP and Andrew Lawton MP gave excellent speeches. Jansen stated in the House of Commons 

“If MAID is expanded, we will be forced into an impossible paradox. A suicidal person calling a crisis line is urged to hold on, yet if they request MAID, that same despair may be treated as justification for death. Bill C-218 is necessary to stop the 2027 expansion to mental illness because the evidence cannot support it and the safeguards cannot sustain it. Vulnerable Canadians are already at risk.”

Link to the speech by Tamara Jansen on Bill C-218 (Article Link).

One of our supporters stated on social media: “Well done Tamara Jansen! How could anyone disagree with her arguments.”

Andrew Lawton (MP) spoke about his own experience with mental illness and a suicide attempt 15 years earlier. Lawton stated in the House: 

"I would not be here today had I been successful. I would not be here today had I not gotten over the darkest, worst feelings of my life, which anyone could encounter. That is something I believe needs to be understood by those who believe this is an abstract question of legal theory and legal rights. These are real people. There are faces to this. If Bill C-218 does not pass, people will die."

Link to the speech by Andrew Lawton on Bill C-218 (Article Link).

The second hour of debate and vote on Bill C-218 is currently scheduled to be in late March, 2026.

Health Canada released the 2024 euthanasia data on November 28, 2025. The number of euthanasia poisonings increased to 16,499 representing 5.1% of all deaths. Quebec continues to have the highest euthanasia rate in the world, now at 7.9% of all deaths. The number of euthanasia deaths of people who were not terminally ill increased by 17% to 732. We have a lot of work to do. Canada needs a massive culture shift.

Read the article on the Health Canada 2024 euthanasia report (Article Link).

The 2024 report indicated that there were 76,475 (MAiD) euthanasia deaths in Canada from legalization until December 31, 2024. 

Based on the 2025 projected increase in euthanasia deaths, 2025 will end with at least 93,500 euthanasia deaths since legalization.

We have hope, and we share hope. Hope is essential in preventing euthanasia, as euthanasia is often requested based on a lack of hope.