Conservatives pledge to not expand Canada's euthanasia law.

Alex Schadenberg

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director,
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

At a Ottawa campaign event on April 12, Pierre Poilievre, stated that, if elected, a Conservative government would not expand eligibility for (MAiD) euthanasia, but pledged that Canadians would continue to have access to MAiD.

The Globe and Mail report on April 12 emphasized that Poilievre will not expand euthanasia, in March 2027, to include people with mental illness alone.

Krista Carr

An article by Stephanie Taylor that was published in the National Post on April 12, interviewed Krista Carr, the CEO of Inclusion Canada. Taylor wrote:

Krista Carr ... welcomes Poilievre’s commitment not to expand assisted dying any further, she hopes he means that Canadians who are terminally ill would continue to have access, not those whose deaths are not deemed “reasonably foreseeable.”

She wants all federal parties, including the Conservatives, which Carr noted fought against widening access when the bill was before Parliament, to change the law to return the eligibility criteria to require that someone be determined to be close to death to qualify for an assisted death.

The current law is “very discriminatory” towards the disabilities community, she said.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition opposes all euthanasia deaths, but we recognize that stopping the expansion of euthanasia is necessary.

On April 1, 2025 I published an article titled: Elections have consequences. Vote for candidates that will oppose further expansions to euthanasia.

This is an important election for Canadians who oppose killing people.

Canada's euthanasia law has continually expanded. Canada's 2023 euthanasia report stated that there were 15,343 reported euthanasia deaths representing 4.7% of all deaths.

The Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario released a report from the Ontario MAiD Death review Committee indicating that there were at least 428 non-compliant Ontario euthanasia deaths from 2018 to 2023.

Canada's federal government has scheduled to allow euthanasia for mental illness (alone) beginning on March 17, 2027. A report by the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD) that was tabled in the House of Commons on February 15, 2023 called for an expansion of euthanasia to include children "mature minors" and patients with mental illnesses and that patients with dementia be permitted to make advance requests for euthanasia.

On March 21, 2025 the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Committee report urged Canada's federal government to:

• Repeal Track 2 Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), including the 2027 commencement of Track 2 MAiD for persons whose “sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness”;
•  Not support proposals for the expansion of MAiD to include “mature minors” and through advance requests;

Before you vote remember that elections have consequences.

Conservative Party of Canada passes Policy 908 opposing expansion of euthanasia

Dear Friends:

We have incredible news. 

The Conservative Party of Canada overwhelmingly passed Policy 908 at their Convention (September 7 - 9, 2023) in Quebec City, a resolution that opposes the expansion of euthanasia to people with psychological suffering, to minors, to people who are not competent and their opposition to euthanasia for people who are not terminally ill.

Policy 908 stated the following:

In principle, the Conservative Party opposes euthanasia and assisted suicide. Furthermore, we oppose the extension of euthanasia and assisted suicide (MAID) to minors, to people who are not competent, people who live with psychological suffering (mental illness), and people not terminally ill (their natural death is not reasonably foreseeable).

We oppose MAID for people living with disabilities or mental illness seeking to die based on poverty, homelessness or inability to receive medical treatment. Euthanasia must not be an abandonment of people living with genuine needs.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition was involved with the development and promotion of Policy 908. In a letter that we sent to Conservative Members of Parliament we stated:

Bill C-7, in March 2021, approved MAiD for mental illness alone with a two year moratorium. This Spring Bill C-39 extended the moratorium on MAiD for mental illness to March 17, 2023. On Wednesday May 17, 2024, Bill C-314, a bill sponsored by Hon. Ed Fast MP (Abbotsford CPC), received it’s first hour of debate. C-314 would once again prevent MAiD for mental illness.

Recently Kathrin Mentler went to the Assessment Centre at Vancouver General Hospital for help as she was experiencing suicidal ideation. While being assessed the counsellor asked her if she had considered Medical Assistance in Dying. Mentler told the media that she was shocked and sickened that she was given recommendations on how to kill herself.

A report from the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD) that was tabled in the House of Commons on February 15, 2023 calling for a drastic expansion of (MAiD). The report recommended that "mature minors" and patients with dementia should be permitted to make advanced requests for MAiD by advanced directive.

We need you to help slow the growth and normalization of MAiD in Canada.

Enough is enough. Death-care for some is not a substitute for healthcare for all.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition offers our gratitute to the original sponsors of Policy 908 and all of the delegates and Members of Parliament who worked to get it overwhelmingly passed at the Policy Convention. Now it needs to be implemented.