Leaders debate: Andrew Scheer is the only leader who questions euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

During the leaders debate, last night, the leaders of Canada's political parties were set-up by a MAiD (euthanasia) question from a woman with multiple sclerosis, who wears adult diapers, has bed sores, and has had rheumatoid arthritis since childhood. The woman asked if they would respect the Québec euthanasia court decision?

Typical of the media to set-up the question to make euthanasia appear "compassionate" and the questioner better off dead than disabled.

The question is based on the September 11 decision by a Québec Superior court to strike down the provision in Canada's euthanasia law requiring that a person be terminally ill to qualify for death by lethal injection.

* Québec court expands euthanasia law by striking down the terminal illness requirement.

Last night, Prime Minister Trudeau re-iterated that he would expand the law within the next six months. Trudeau isn't concerned that his own government established a five-year review to begin in June 2020 that would have enabled Canadians to provide democratic input.

The other leaders, Elizabeth May (Green), Jagmeet Singh (NDP), Yves-Francois Blanchet (Bloc) and Maxime Bernier (PPLC) all supported an expansion of the euthanasia law, except for Andrew Scheer.

Andrew Scheer

Scheer stated that the Conservative party opposed the euthanasia law and he stated that we need to protect vulnerable people.

He added that his party will “always respect” the decisions of the court. “At the same time, we will evaluate the decision.” He said he agreed with Blanchet and that “we need to try to find [a] path forward.”

At the previous french language debate Scheer was the only one to oppose euthanasia. He said "he would appeal the decision and would convene the Parliament to craft a revised MAiD regime."

It appears that Andrew Scheer and the Conservatives are the only major political party who will refuse to expand the euthanasia law.

Where do the Canada's political party leaders stand on MAiD?

Alex Schadenberg

Executive Director

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

On September 11, a Québec Superior court struck down the provision in Canada's euthanasia (MAiD) law requiring that a person be terminally ill to be approved for death by lethal injection. The court decided that requiring that a person's "natural death must be reasonably foreseeable" was unconstitutional.

During the french language debate on TVA, between political party leaders Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Lib), Andrew Scheer (CPC), Jagmeet Singh (NDP) and Yves-François Blanchet (BQ), Trudeau stated that he would not appeal the Québec Truchon court decision that struck down the "terminal illness" requirement. Trudeau also said that he would craft a more permissive MAiD regime in the 6 months period ordered by the Court.

Other than Andrew Scheer, the other party leaders supported a more permissive euthanasia (MAiD) regime. Scheer said that he would appeal the decision and revise the MAiD regime. 

Maxime Bernier (PPC) and Elizabeth May did not participate in that debate.

Elizabeth May is on record as supporting MAiD while Bernier supports MAiD but he supports requiring a psychological evaluation before approval.

The recent euthanasia death of Alan Nichols, a physically healthy man who was living with chronic depression, has led one family to ask how could their brother have died by euthanasia? Clearly the law is not protecting depressed people with questionable mental competency.

The language of the Quebec court decision expands euthanasia to people with psychiatric issues alone. 

In March I published an article showing that, as of December 31, 2018, there had been 7949 assisted deaths in Canada, since legalization. There were 2704 reported assisted deaths in 2017 and 4235 reported assisted deaths in 2018.