Sonu Gaind: Unravelling MAiD in Canada.

EPC has copies of the book Unravelling MAiD in Canada available for purchase.

Purchase the book from EPC for $40 (after tax) + shipping (Order Link).

Previous article: Ramona Coelho: Unravelling MAiD in Canada (Link).

The following speech was presented by Dr Gaind for the April 15 launch of the book: Unravelling MAiD in Canada.

Dr. Sonu Gaind is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Chief of Psychiatry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He is an Executive Member and Medical Practice & Tariff Chair of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) Section on Psychiatry and Chair of the OMA Relativity Advisory Committee, and a Past-President of the Canadian Psychiatric Association.

Sonu Gaind speaking at book launch.

Dr K. Sonu Gaind

You know, we often say it’s the journey and not the destination, but in this case I’m not so sure. It’s been a pretty rough journey for many advocating in this area, and it is pretty great to finally see this important work see the light of day. 

I’m so appreciative of the chance to be standing here with my co editors, Ramona Coelho and Trudo Lemmens, as we launch this book. I truly hope it contributes to our national discourse as we, as a society, continue navigating the challenging waters of how, and what, we should or should not be helping people die for. I also want to thank all of our authors, whose wisdom and compassion shine through both in this volume and through their own advocacy, and also our publisher McGill/Queen’s University Press for their support and guidance through this process.

And of course, thank all of you for being here today, both in person and online (we have another about 40 or 50 people online ). A particular shout out to my dad, who couldn’t be here for health reasons but is watching - Dada, I think by now you’ve probably read and re-read the book more carefully than me, Trudo and Ramona put together. And while I’m doing shout outs, the loudest has to be to my wife Lystra and my kids Dante and Sabine even when this work has taken me away from you, you’ve always still been there for me.

When I look around this room I’m amazed by the range of friends and colleagues who have come out to celebrate this occasion with us. Thank you all so much. We have university colleagues, hospital and workplace colleagues, old friends and new confreres we’ve met and made through this journey. The diversity is remarkable, and I think a testament to how important this issue is, and how deeply people want to think about and engage in it, if given a chance.

Why we might choose, as a society, to provide death to fellow Canadians is a hugely complex issue, and one that should engender robust and honest debate. It’s legitimate to debate when it might be compassionate to help relieve suffering, versus when it might be abandonment to facilitate suicide.

Unfortunately that honest debate is not what has driven our MAiD expansion so far. Instead, as outlined in my chapter, Fall of Duty: The Breach of Trust and Moral Failure of Canada’s Entrusted Experts, and other chapters in the book, we’ve had troubling processes that have led to Canada becoming the world’s canary in a coal mine on euthanasia expansion. As Trudo will mention, the United Nations has explicitly raised concerns that our own policy makers refuse to acknowledge, of the existential risks our current MAiD expansions pose to marginalized Canadians.

That’s why I think this book is so important. From lived experience, expertise, cultural considerations and lenses of diversity, the authors unflinchingly explore not only why our most privileged, who have lived well and want autonomy to die well, might seek MAiD; but also why our most marginalized, struggling with access to social care, who society never afforded a chance to live with dignity, might (and are) increasingly seeking available euthanasia to escape life's suffering.

What we provide death for is the flip side of how we help people live.

It’s not an easy message to hear, but it’s an essential one, since I can’t think of much that defines us more as a society is that we help people live with dignity before they need to "choose" death as their only option. And for bringing these perspectives forward with eloquence, clarity, humanity and humility, often in the face of privileged voices trying to stifle any cautions, I’m deeply grateful to all our authors and co-editors to have been part of this endeavour.

Book Launch on April 15, 2025 (Link to Video)

Ramona Coelho: Unravelling MAiD in Canada.

The following speech was written by Dr Ramona Coelho for the April 15 launch of the book: Unravelling MAiD in Canada.

EPC has copies of the book available for purchase. 

Order the book from EPC for $40 (after tax) + shipping (Order Link).

By Ramona Coelho

Dr Ramona Coelho speaking on April 15.

Thank you so much for being here. I’m deeply grateful to share this moment with all of you, and especially honoured to stand alongside Dr Harvey Schipper and my co-editors, Dr. Sonu Gaind and Professor Trudo Lemmens. The book we’re launching tonight is the result of years of lived experience, medical care, research, and a common concern — concern for Canadians, and for the future of medical care and societal culture in this country.

We release this book at a critical time. As Trudo has mentioned, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has recommended the repeal of Track 2 MAiD. Likewise, the Ontario Coroner’s MAiD Death Review Committee — of which both Trudo and I are members — has begun publishing reports that document serious public safety concerns in MAiD cases. What we see confirms what many of us in healthcare have long feared and have tried to bring to the attention of politicians: people are accessing MAiD through lax application of the law, often without a thorough or humane exploration of their suffering. In some cases, death is being offered more readily than medical care and supports.

As a family physician, I work every day with people who face enormous barriers: refugees, individuals living in poverty, those with disabilities, mental illness, or incarceration histories. Earlier in my career, I provided home care in Montreal for people with dementia, addiction, or severe physical disabilities. These patients — like all of us — need to know their lives are valued, but sadly often don’t. Canadians need support, not an easy exit when life becomes unbearable. They need care, not assisted death as a substitute for our societal collective failures.

MAiD was introduced to Canadians as an “exceptional measure for exceptional cases,” intended to relieve suffering at the end of life when nothing else could. It has rapidly shifted. Private MAiD provider forums leaked by AP journalists- like Maria Cheng – have revealed cases where people qualified because of loneliness, lack of housing, or feelings of being a burden. When death is given because systems failed to offer support — that is not autonomy. That is abandonment.

Our book aims to expose these troubling patterns with clarity, evidence, and compassion. We highlight not only the stories and legal pathways, but also the ethical crossroads we now face as a society.

This is not an abstract debate. These are real people — people whose deaths were approved despite untreated mental illness, poverty, social isolation, or perhaps even the pressure of caregiver burnout.

We must ask ourselves, as the human rights commissioner of Canada also asked last year: Are we building a society where everyone’s life is seen as equally worth living? Or are we creating a system that quietly accepts some lives as more expendable?

We hope this book serves as a resource for those asking these hard questions — and a call to action for those in healthcare, law, policy, and beyond. Because at the end of the day, our task is not just to offer choices — it is to ensure those choices are grounded in dignity, support, and the belief that every person deserves to live a life of meaning, regardless of their challenges.

Thank you.

Order the book from EPC for $40 (after tax) + shipping (Order Link).

Book: Unravelling MAiD in Canada

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director,
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

I was pleased to attend the launch of the book: Unravelling MAiD in Canada in Toronto on April 15. 

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition shares the hopes of the editors of the book - that this book will change the Canadian debate.

Unravelling MAiD in Canada is a thorough 530 page book that features chapters by: Ramona Coelho, K. Sonu Gaind, Trudo Lemmens, Mary Shariff, Leonie Herx, Alexander Simpson, Roland Jones, Gabrielle Peters, Hon Graydon Nicholas, Isabel Grant, Derek Ross, Mark Sinyor, Ayal Schaffer, Catherine Ferrier.

EPC has copies of this important book available for purchase. Order the book from EPC for $40 (after tax) + shipping (Order Link).

Unravelling MAiD in Canada was edited by:

• Dr. Ramona Coelho, family physician and Senior Fellow of domestic and health policy, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
• Dr. K. Sonu Gaind, Professor, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and Chief of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook
• Dr. Trudo Lemmens, Professor and Scholl Chair in Health Law and Policy, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto

Unravelling MAiD in Canada has chapters that focus on: general medicine, psychiatry, palliative care, Canadian law, health policy, disability rights and ethics.

With the number of (MAiD) euthanasia deaths in Canada and how the law expanded in 2021 (Bill C-7), Unravelling MAiD in Canada is an important book for Canadians and other people in countries that are debating the legalization of euthanasia and/or assisted suicide. 

EPC has copies of this important book available for purchase. Order the book from EPC for $40 (after tax) + shipping (Order Link).

At least 622 non compliant Canadian euthanasia deaths in 2023.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

On December 11, 2024, Canada's Ministry of Health released the Fifth Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying which indicated that there were 15,343 reported euthanasia (MAiD) deaths representing 4.7% of all deaths in 2023. According to the data there were 60,301 euthanasia deaths from legalization (June 2016) to December 31, 2023. By now Canada will have surpassed 75,000 euthanasia deaths since legalization.

Kamil Karamali reported for CTV National news on December 15, 2024 that at least 622 of the reported euthanasia deaths, in 2023, may have been non-compliant with the law. Dr Sonu Gaind, a psychiatry professor at the University of Toronto, said that how the system operates is troubling. Karamali reports Gaind as stating:

"It's particularly concerning for the path to MAID for disabled people who are not otherwise dying, because in that path, the nature of suffering parallels the traditional markers of suicide," he told CTV News in an interview Saturday. "That includes things like feeling a burden and a strong sense of loneliness."

The StatCan report found that, in the 622 MAID cases where natural death was not "reasonably foreseeable," 47 per cent suffered from isolation or loneliness and 49 per cent perceived themselves to be a burden to family, friends and caregivers.

"The only reason they died last year was because they were provided MAID," said Gaind. "We're talking about people, in some cases, that had more than 10 years to live. That should raise some red flags."

It must be noted that the report was released by Health Canada and not Statistics Canada.

Karamali then interviewed Isabel Grant, a UBC law professor who commented on the legal challenge to Track 2 euthanasia deaths that was launched by four national disability groups. Karamali reports:

...In September, a coalition of disability rights groups launched a Charter challenge in Ontario over a section of Canada's MAID law.

"It's discriminatory because when other people express loneliness or a loss of dignity or a desire with die, we usually respond with support or prevention -- but with people with disabilities, we respond with an offer for MAID," said UBC law professor Isabel Grant in a Saturday interview with CTV News.

Gaind commented further on the 622 concerning deaths. Karamali reports:

"For those situations, I don't think we're providing death under honest pretenses; it's false pretenses," said Gaind. "We're pretending we're providing it for illness suffering, when in reality those MAID provisions are being fuelled by very different sort of suffering -- so that's actually white-washing what we're providing death for, and medicalizing something that's actually a social situation.

In my article, Canada: 15,343 reported euthanasia deaths in 2023, I pointed out some other concerning data in the report:

• Of the 15,343 reported euthanasia deaths: 95.9% were Track 1 deaths (the person was deemed to have a terminal condition); 4.1% were Track 2 deaths (the person was deemed to not having a terminal condition).
• People with disabilities accounted for 33.5% of the Track 1 euthanasia deaths and 58.3% of the Track 2 euthanasia deaths. In 2022, 27% of Canadians were people with one or more disabilities. People with disabilities are over-represented in Canada's euthanasia statistics.
• 95.8% of those who died by euthanasia were Caucasian (White) while fewer than 1% were First Nations people. In 2022, 69.8% of Canadians euthanized were Caucasian and 5% were First Nations people.

I was also concerned that:

• Euthanasia for frailty was listed as a reason in 1,392 deaths, representing more than 9% of all euthanasia deaths. In 92 euthanasia deaths, frailty was listed as the only reason.
• Euthanasia for chronic pain was listed as a reason in 933 deaths, with 23 of the deaths listing chronic pain as the only reason.
• Euthanasia for dementia was listed as a reason in 241 deaths, with 106 of those deaths listing dementia as the only reason.

It is important to note that loneliness and isolation was listed in more than 21% of all euthanasia deaths representing more than 3200 people.

People with disabilities should be concerned that "other conditions" was the highest identified condition for euthanasia. For people with disabilities, 46.2% of the Track 1 deaths were based on "other conditions" and 62.9% of the Track 2 deaths were based on "other conditions." Other conditions is not further defined and indicates a serious concern with discrimination of people with disabilities.

There is also a difference in income levels for Track 1 and Track 2 euthanasia deaths. People who died by Track 2 euthanasia were more likely to have a lower income than the Track 1 deaths.

More analysis of The Fifth Annual Report needs to be done. The report includes more information than the previous years reports but it does not examine why people are asking for euthanasia nor does it uncover deaths that may be outside of the parameters of the law.

Euthanasia is being used to kill people in poverty, isolation and social suffering.

What real choice does a person have who’s already suffering from mental illness, doesn’t have caring people nearby, isn’t getting adequate medical attention and social supports and may already be contemplating suicide?

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, 

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Article: Ontario MAiD Death Review Stories. Do you have a MAiD death story? (Link).

Andrew Phillips, a staff columnist with the Toronto Star wrote an excellent opinion article titled: Assisted suicide is being used to relieve people of poverty, isolation and social suffering. This is not OK. Yes this article published in the Toronto Star.

Phillips is writing about the report issued by the Ontario chief coroner’s office on how medical assistance in dying (MAID) is being carried out in this province. Phillips refers to two of the six cases that were outlined in the report.

Mr. A, “a male in his 40s,” was suffering from inflammatory bowel disease. He also had “a history of mental illness, previous episodes of suicidality, and ongoing alcohol and opioid misuse.” No one offered him treatment for his addictions, but a psychiatrist gave him information about MAID. He was approved for death under what’s known as “Track 2” — cases where death is not reasonably foreseeable. A MAID provider personally drove him to the place where he was given an assisted death.

Mr. B, “a male in his late 40s,” was suffering from severe ulcers. He also “presented with multiple mental illnesses, namely depression, anxiety, narcissistic personality disorder, and bipolar mood disorder type 2. He had chronic suicidal ideations” — and indeed had attempted suicide a year earlier. Mr. B also applied under Track 2 and became one of 116 Ontarians to die that way last year.

Phillips then writes:

I spell out those details because the two recent reports on MAID from Ontario’s chief coroner are like that: detailed, clinical, dispassionate. They’re the opposite of sensational, at least in style.

But what they reveal ought to be shocking. Some patients are being euthanized while suffering from untreated mental illnesses and addictions. They’re more likely to come from poor areas (those with “high levels of marginalization,” as the reports put it) and be suffering from inadequate housing, a lack of social supports and simple loneliness.

Phillips, who supports euthanasia, states that 2.6% of the 4644 Ontario euthanasia deaths in 2023 were Track 2 deaths, meaning, the person wasn't terminally ill. Phillips then states:

But somehow we’ve turned a system that Canadians thought was supposed to spare people in the last stages of life from needless pain and suffering (a laudable goal, and one I share), to a system in which some people are being nudged toward death as a way to escape poverty, isolation and social suffering.

Phillips states that some members of the Ontario MAiD Death Review committee are not bothered by the cases outlined in the report. Philips writes:

they appear to think they are rare outliers and what should matter above all is a person’s individual autonomy — “my death, my choice.”

Phillips responds by stating:

What real choice does a person have who’s already suffering from mental illness, doesn’t have caring people nearby, isn’t getting adequate medical attention and social supports and may already be contemplating suicide?

Dr Sonu Gaind

Psychiatrist, Dr Sonu Gaind, is then interviewed by Phillips:

Dr. Sonu Gaind, a psychiatrist who’s deeply involved in the issue, says all this shouldn’t be surprising because Canada’s MAID system has been shaped by advocates wedded to the “right to die” mantra of individual choice. They’re constantly pressing to expand the criteria for MAID to include more and more people, leading to the slippery slope that opponents of assisted death warned of years ago.

Gaind notes some advocates are dismissing the troubling cases cited in the coroners’ reports because, they say, marginalized people already die at a higher rate than others so it should come as no surprise that more of them die from MAID as well. “Claiming that state-facilitated death fuelled by social deprivation is acceptable since more marginalized people die from social deprivation and structural inequities anyway is indistinguishable from eugenics,” he writes in the Conversation.

“My death, my choice” sounds good but it doesn’t let us off the hook as a society. We have a decision to make: do we ensure vulnerable, suffering people have the support they need to live decently? Or do we collectively decide that’s too complicated and expensive and usher them gently towards an early death?

Previous articles on this topic:

• Canadians with disabilities are needlessly dying by euthanasia (Link).
• Euthanasia for post Covid-19 syndrome (Link).
• Ontario Coroner's euthanasia report - Poor at risk of coercion (Link).
• Some euthanasia deaths are driven by homelessness, fear and isolation (Link).

Ontario Chief Coroner report: Some euthanasia deaths are driven by homelessness, fear and isolation.

More than 400 Ontario euthanasia deaths have not fit the criteria of the law.

The Ontario MAiD Death Review report has three parts (Part 3) (Part 2) (Part 1).

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Maria Cheng reported for the AP Press on October 17 that the Ontario chief coroner released a report reviewing euthanasia death. The report examined several cases where Ontario patients were killed by MAiD in part for social reasons such as isolation and fears of homelessness, raising concerns over approvals for vulnerable people in the country’s assisted dying system.

Cheng reported that:

The expert committee’s reports are based on an analysis of anonymized cases, chosen for their implications for future euthanasia requests.

Canada’s legal criteria require a medical reason for euthanasia — a fatal diagnosis or unmanageable pain — but the committee’s reports show cases where people were euthanized based on other factors including an “unmet social need.”

Dr Ramona Coelho

Dr Ramona Coelho, a member of the expert committee told Cheng:

“To finally have a government report that recognizes these cases of concern is extremely important,”

“We’ve been gaslit for so many years when we raised fears about people getting MAiD because they were poor, disabled or socially isolated.”

The reported examined several controversial cases. Cheng reported:

In the case of a man identified as Mr. A, Ontario’s expert committee questioned whether authorities tried hard enough to relieve his pain before he was euthanized. Mr. A was an unemployed man in his 40s with bowel disease and a history of substance abuse and mental illness. He was described as “socially vulnerable and isolated.” Some committee members were alarmed that a psychiatrist suggested euthanasia during a mental health assessment.

Mr. A was eventually picked up and driven to the location where he was killed by the health professional who euthanized him — a transgression of professional boundaries, according to some committee members. They said that might have “created pressure and gave rise to a perception of hastening a person towards death.”

Another case detailed Ms. B, a woman in her 50s suffering from multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, with a history of mental illness including suicidality and post-traumatic stress disorder. She was socially isolated and asked to die largely because she could not get proper housing, according to the report.

Committee members couldn’t agree whether her death was justified; some said that because her inadequate housing was the main reason for her suffering, she should have been disqualified from euthanasia. Others argued that “social needs may be considered irremediable” if other options have been explored.

Dr Sonu Gaind

Dr Sonu Gaind, professor of psychiatry medicine at the University of Toronto told Cheng:

the coroner’s reports are alarming for numerous reasons, notably the handling of mental health conditions in those seeking euthanasia.

“What we’re doing in many cases is the opposite of suicide prevention,” he said, citing an example of a man in his 40s who had previously tried to kill himself and did not have a definitive diagnosis when his euthanasia was approved.

Dr Scott Kim, a physician and bioethicist at the National Institutes of Health in Washington told Cheng:

the real issue is the permissive nature of Canada’s law. Despite polls showing widespread support for expanding euthanasia access, he questioned whether most Canadians understand what is allowed and said it’s “baffling” that officials hadn’t previously considered these issues.

Trudo Lemmens

Trudo Lemmens, professor of health law and policy at the University of Toronto told Cheng

medical professional bodies and judicial authorities in Canada appeared “unwilling to curtail practices that appear ethically problematic.”

“Either the law is too broad, or the professional guidance not precise enough,”

“Or it is simply not seen as a priority to protect some of our most vulnerable citizens.”

The report indicated that 2% of the euthanasia deaths did not meet the mandated safeguards despite the fact that no doctors or nurses have been prosecuted.

Cheng concluded her article by stating:

AP’s investigation also found data suggesting a significant number of people euthanized in Ontario when they weren’t dying live in the province’s poorest and most deprived areas. On Wednesday, the Ontario coroner released that as well, showing that people asking to be killed were more likely to require disability support and be socially isolated.

I reported on September 10 that The Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario reported that there were 2452 reported euthanasia deaths in the first six months of 2024 up by 10% from 2,227 reported euthanasia deaths in the first six months of 2023.

As of June 30, 2024, there have been 20,828 euthanasia deaths since legalization in June 2016.

The recent Ontario Coroner's report admits that 2% of all euthanasia deaths did not meet the legal criteria. Since there were 20,828 euthanasia in Ontario from legalization until June 30, 2024, that means that more than 400 euthanasia deaths in Ontario have not fit the criteria of the law.

Bill C-62 is now in the Senate, LWD media release

The Euthansia Prevention Coalition is having a rally and press conference on parliament hill on Tuesday February 27 at 11 am (Link).

The following article was published by Living with Dignity.

Federal Bill C-62 seeks to amend the Criminal Code to provide that persons are not eligible, until March 17, 2027, to receive medical assistance in dying “if their sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness” continues its legislative journey.

The adoption of a motion this week allowed this Bill to be expedited. Note that there was a failed attempt by the Bloc Québécois to add the issue of advance requests to C-62.

We thank psychiatrists Pierre Gagnon and Sonu Gaind who spent Valentine's evening participating in the only meeting of the Standing Committee on Health studying the Bill.

Passed Thursday in the House of Commons, Bill C-62 will be debated during the last week of February in the Canadian Senate.

We hope for an adoption without amendment by March 1, 2024 due to the scheduled breaks in the Senate’s session. We will be very vigilant, as many Senators oppose delaying the exclusion of MAID for mental disorders.

Tell your Member of Parliament to oppose euthanasia for mental illness.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Canada’s federal Justice Minister, Hon Arif Virani stated in December, 2023 that the government is considering "hitting the pause button" on euthanasia for mental illness. Members of Parliament will return from their break next week. 

The government has not stated it's intention on the issue but you need to tell your representatives that you oppose euthanasia for mental illness.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) launched a campaign to stop euthanasia for mental illness. 

Join our campaign by ordering parliamentary post-cards (above) that state: I demand that the government reverse its decision to permit “MAiD” for mental illness alone. The cards are ordered for free by contacting EPC at: 1-877-439-3348 or email: office@epcc.ca.

EPC also launched a petition (Petition Link) to the Justice Minister and the Justice Critics urging the Canadian government to reverse the decision to permit euthanasia for mental illness and demanding that Canadians with mental illness not be abandoned to death by euthanasia (“MAiD”).

EPC is also sending a copy of Tyler Dunlop's book: Therefore Choose Life—My Journey from Hopelessness to Hope to every Member of Parliament.

When Canada expanded the euthanasia law in March 2021 (Bill C-7), one of the expansions in the law was to permit euthanasia for mental illness alone. At that time the government decided to approve euthanasia for mental illness but with a two-year moratorium to give the government time to prepare.

Early last year the government delayed the implementation of euthanasia for mental illness for another year. Canada is currently scheduled to permit euthanasia for mental illness on March 17, 2024.

Last year, the Hon Ed Fast sponsored Bill C-314, a bill that would have prohibited the government from permitting euthanasia for mental illness. Bill C-314 was defeated by a vote of 167 to 150 but 8 Liberals, every NDP and every Conservative Member of Parliament supported Bill C-314. This led to the government considering reversing their position on euthanasia for mental illness.

Canadians oppose euthanasia for mental illness.

In February 2023, the Angus Reid Institute published a poll indicating that 31% of Canadians supported euthanasia for mental illness alone, with the highest support being in Quebec (36%) and the lowest support being in Saskatchewan (21%). In September 2023, the Angus Reid Institute conducted another poll which indicated that support for euthanasia for mental illness had dropped to 28% of Canadians.

Dr K Sonu Gaind

A Globe and Mail editorial published on November 4, 2023 quoted Dr. K Sonu Gaind, Chief of Psychiatry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, who stated that there is "absolutely no consensus" as to what constitutes an irremediable medical condition when it comes to patients with mental illness. The comment by Dr Gaind is important because the law requires that a person must have an irremediable medical condition to be approved for euthanasia.

The Federal government sponsored a conference on euthanasia for mental illness in October in Victoria BC where it was argued that certain addictions are linked to mental illness and therefore euthanasia for mental illness could include people with addictions.

Similar to people with disabilities, people with mental health issues are more likely to live in poverty, to be homeless or to struggle to obtain the medical treatment that they need.

More articles on this topic: 

• Join our campaign to stop euthanasia for mental illness (Link).
• Euthanasia for drug addicts is an outcome of euthanasia for mental illness (Link).
• Canada's government may pause the implementation of euthanasia for mental illness. (Link)
• Canada passes Bill C-7 - permitting euthanasia for mental illness. (Link)
• Canada to delay euthanasia for mental illness until March 2024. (Link)
• The majority of Canadians oppose euthanasia for mental health. (Link)
• 28% of Canadians support euthanasia for mental illness. (Link)
• Bill C-314 defeated. Parliament divided on euthanasia for mental illness. (Link)
• Veterans Affairs Canada worker advocates euthanasia for PTSD. (Link)
• Canadian Quadriplegic woman approved to die by euthanasia faster than it takes to get needed disability benefits (Link)
• Canadian woman offered euthanasia as a "treatment option" during a mental health crisis. (Link)
• Globe and Mail editorial urges federal government to withdraw euthanasia for mental illness. (Link) 
• The problem with Canada's MAiD policy (Link)
  
• Ontario man seeks euthanasia to avoid homelessness. (Link)
• Why did they kill my brother. (Link)

Don’t abandon people with mental illness to death by MAiD.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

On December 15, 2023 Stephanie Taylor reported for the Canadian Press that Justice Minister Arif Virani stated that the federal government may “pause its plan” to permit euthanasia (MAiD) when a person’s only underlying condition is a mental disorder (Link).

*Sign and share our petition to Justice Minister Hon Arif Virani, Hon Rob Moore (CPC Justice Critic) and Randall Garrison (NDP Justice Critic) (Petition Link).

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition needs your help to implement a successful campaign to reverse the current direction with euthanasia in Canada.

When the Canadian government expanded its (MAiD) euthanasia law in March 2021 (Bill C-7) it did so by removing the terminal illness requirement and permitting Canadians to be poisoned to death if they have an irremediable medical condition (Link).

Bill C-7 also added the option of euthanasia for mental illness alone. (Link) The government originally provided a two-year moratorium on euthanasia for mental illness to give them time to prepare for this expansion. In 2023 the government extended the moratorium for another year (Link). Therefore, unless the government pauses its current plan, euthanasia for mental illness alone will become an option on March 17, 2024.

In February 2023, the Angus Reid Institute published a poll indicating that 31% of Canadians supported euthanasia for mental illness alone, with the highest support being in Quebec (36%) and the lowest support being in Saskatchewan (21%) (Link). In September 2023, the Angus Reid Institute conducted another poll which indicated that support for euthanasia for mental illness alone had dropped to 28% of Canadians (Link).

Even though Canadians oppose euthanasia for mental illness, Canada’s parliament recently defeated Bill C-314, that was sponsored by Hon. Ed Fast (MP) that would have prevented euthanasia for mental illness alone. The good news was that the vote was close (167 – 150) with all of the Conservatives and NDP and 8 Liberals supporting Bill C-314. (Link)

We need to tell the stories.

In August 2022, Global News reported the story of a Veterans Affairs employee who advocated (MAiD) euthanasia for a veterans living with (PTSD). The article stated (Link):

A Canadian Forces veteran seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury was shocked when he was unexpectedly and casually offered medical assistance in dying by a Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) employee, sources tell Global News.

Sources say a VAC service agent brought up medical assistance in dying, or MAID, unprompted in the conversation with the veteran. Global News is not identifying the veteran who was seeking treatment.

Canadians were shocked that a veteran who served the country and was seeking help for PTSD was offered (MAiD) euthanasia. The story was published around the same time as several other stories of people with disabilities who were approved for euthanasia based on poverty (Link), homelessness or being unable to obtain medical treatment.

Kathryn Mentler

The Tyee in August 2023 the story of Kathrin Mentler (37) who lives with chronic suicidal ideation. Mentler, who said that she has lived with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts for many years, was offered euthanasia at the Assessment Centre at the Vancouver General Hospital when she was seeking help for suicidal ideation (Link).

According to the article, Mentler went to the Vancouver General Hospital to receive help. The article states that she was told by the counsellor that the mental health system was "completely overwhelmed", there were no available beds, and the earliest that she could talk with a psychiatrist was in about five months. The counsellor then asked Mentler if she had ever considered medically assisted suicide.

Canadians reacted strongly to the Mentler story as she was experiencing suicidal ideation and offered euthanasia while seeking a “safe place”. It must be noted that euthanasia for mental illness was technically illegal in June 2023 when it was offered as an option to Mentler.

In August 2023 a story was published by the Richmond News explaining that if euthanasia for mental illness had existed in the past, that Karim Jessa would be dead. Jessa explained in the interview that he opposes euthanasia for mental illness because, when he had hit rock bottom, he would have asked for an assisted death if it had been legal, but now he is a completely different person.

An editorial published by the Globe and Mail on November 4, 2023 quoted Dr. K Sonu Gaind, Chief of Psychiatry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, stating that there is "absolutely no consensus" as to what constitutes an irremediable medical condition when it comes to patients with mental illness. (Link) This comment is important because the law requires that a person to be approved for euthanasia, must have an irremediable medical condition.

There have been many articles in the media concerning people with disabilities who asked for or received (MAiD) euthanasia based on poverty, homelessness or an inability to obtain medical treatment.

Similar to people with disabilities (Link), people with mental health issues (Link) are more likely to live in poverty (Link), to be homeless (Link) or to struggle to obtain the medical treatment that they need.

The battle to protect people with mental illness has not ended. 

On December 13 Justice Minister Arif Virani stated that the Federal government may “pause its original plan” to permit (MAiD) euthanasia for mental illness (Link).

Members of parliament will have the opportunity to oppose euthanasia for mental illness when they return to parliament after the Christmas break.

Members of Parliament need to reject euthanasia for mental illness.

Urge Member's of Parliament Not to abandon people with mental illness to death by MAiD.

Sign and share our petition to Justice Minister Hon Arif Virani, Hon Rob Moore (CPC Justice Critic) and Randall Garrison (NDP Justice Critic) (Petition Link).

Links to reference articles used in this article:

• Canada's government may pause the implementation of euthanasia for mental illness. (Link)
• Canada passes Bill C-7 - permitting euthanasia for mental illness. (Link)
• Canada to delay euthanasia for mental illness until March 2024. (Link)
• The majority of Canadians oppose euthanasia for mental health. (Link)
• 28% of Canadians support euthanasia for mental illness. (Link)
• Bill C-314 defeated. Parliament divided on euthanasia for mental illness. (Link)
• Veterans Affairs Canada worker advocates euthanasia for PTSD. (Link)
• Canadian Quadriplegic woman approved to die by euthanasia faster than it takes to get needed disability benefits (Link)
• Canadian woman offered euthanasia as a "treatment option" during a mental health crisis. (Link)
• Globe and Mail editorial urges federal government to withdraw euthanasia for mental illness. (Link) 
• The problem with Canada's MAiD policy (Link)
  
• Ontario man seeks euthanasia to avoid homelessness. (Link)
• Why did they kill my brother. (Link)
  

Canada's MAiD program has gone "mad"

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Kelsi Sheren, a Canadian military veteran, witnessed the horrific death of a comrade in Afghanistan. Sheren, who lives with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD,) told the Daily Mail in July, 2023 that 'It's disgusting and it's unacceptable,' that authorities would rather euthanize a soldier than foot the bill for their recovery.

The story of Veterans Affairs employees who advocated (MAiD) euthanasia for veterans living with (PTSD) was reported by Global News in August, 2022. The article states:

A Canadian Forces veteran seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury was shocked when he was unexpectedly and casually offered medical assistance in dying by a Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) employee, sources tell Global News.

Sources say a VAC service agent brought up medical assistance in dying, or MAID, unprompted in the conversation with the veteran. Global News is not identifying the veteran who was seeking treatment.

The Canadian veteran who was living with PTSD was offered euthanasia around the same time as several other stories were reported of people with disabilities who were being approved for, or dying by, euthanasia based on living in poverty or homelessness and were unable to obtain medical treatment.

Canada expanded the euthanasia law (Bill C-7) in March 2021 by removing the requirement that a person must be terminally ill or that their natural death be reasonably foreseeable. By removing the “terminal illness” requirement within the law without adding further requirements, the law became open to euthanasia for anyone with an "irremediable" medical condition. The new euthanasia law stipulates a 90 day waiting period for people who are not terminally ill and allows  same-day death for people who are terminally ill.

The disability community were concerned during the Bill C-7 debate that removing the “terminal illness” requirement in the law would lead to the deaths of people with disabilities based on social reasons. They were right. People with disabilities are being approved for euthanasia based on their medical condition but are requesting euthanasia based on poverty, homelessness, and other social issues.

Rose Finlay

The Daily Mail reported in July, 2023 on Rose Finlay, a woman with quadriplegia who was self-employed for many years, and had become ill. To enable her to live, Finlay applied for disability benefits and learned that it takes 6 to 8 months to be approved for disability benefits in Ontario. However, Finlay was approved for and could die by euthanasia in 90 days. Finlay didn’t want to die by euthanasia but due to her illness was living in poverty.

Rose Finlay is one of many people with disabilities who applied for euthanasia based on poverty but was approved for euthanasia because her disability is defined as being an “irremediable” medical condition.

Joannie Cowie

Joannie Cowie was interviewed by Global News in October 2022. Cowie, who has multiple disabilities, shares an apartment with her daughter, who is also disabled. Cowie told the media that she wants euthanasia because she is trapped in a cycle of poverty. Even though she has an excellent education, she is not employed and she doesn’t receive enough money from her disability benefit to live.

Meagan Nichols, who operates the Mississauga Food Bank, told MacLean’s magazine in November 2022 that some food bank clients were seeking euthanasia in response to the grind of living in poverty.

Amir Farsoud was considering death by euthanasia to avoid homelessness. City News Toronto reported in October 2022 that Farsoud, who lives with constant back pain, had to find a new apartment because his building had a new owner who was planning to renovate the building. Farsoud, who was dependent on disability benefits, couldn’t find another affordable apartment. Farsoud applied for euthanasia based on his disability but he wanted euthanasia based on his fear of homelessness.

Farsoud remains alive because a GoFundMe fundraiser provided him with a new place to live. But Farsoud is the exception to the rule.

CBC News Manitoba reported in October 2022 that Sathya Dhara Kovac, who was living with ALS, died by euthanasia because she lacked adequate home-care services. In writing her obituary, Kovac stated that she had grown exhausted by her failed efforts to get more help with basic needs at home, and this is what drove her to access a medically assisted death.

A woman known as Madeleine makes the issue clear. Madeleine, who accumulated a $40,000 debt trying to treat myalgic encephalomyelitis and other ailments, told Chatelaine magazine in July 2022 that when her money runs out, a medically assisted death may be her only option. Madeleine is living with disability and poverty as she tries to obtain the medical treatment she needs.

Similar to Rose Finlay, Joannie Cowie and Amir Farsoud, Madeleine doesn’t want to die by euthanasia but she believes it may eventually be her only option. These stories represent only some of the real life stories that people with disabilities who live with poverty, homelessness, or have a difficult time getting medical treatment, are experiencing.

Euthanasia for Mental Illness.

When Canada expanded the euthanasia law in March 2021 (Bill C-7) one of the expansions included approving euthanasia for mental illness alone, and it provided a two-year moratorium to give the government time to prepare for this expansion.

The reality surrounding euthanasia for mental illness is concerning.

John Maher

People with disabilities are requesting, and being approved for, euthanasia based on poverty, homelessness and the inability to receive necessary medical treatment. People with mental health issues are often homeless, living in poverty and having difficulty receiving medical treatment.

Psychiatrist, Dr John Maher, has stated that the euthanasia waiting period for Canadians who are not terminally ill, which is 90 days, is shorter than the waiting period to receive psychiatric care which is often much longer than 90 days.

Sonu Gaind

Psychiatrist, Dr Sonu Gaind, who supports euthanasia but opposes it for people with mental illness, told the Toronto Star in February 2023 that:

it’s basically impossible to know in cases of mental illness whether the condition is truly “irremediable,” i.e. cannot be cured or alleviated.

Dr Gaind's statement is important since the law requires that the person must have an "irremediable" medical condition in order to qualify for euthanasia.

Kathrin Mentler

The story of Kathrin Mentler (37), a Canadian who lives with chronic suicidal thoughts was reported by The Tyee in August 2023. Mentler, who has lived with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts for many years, was offered euthanasia at the Assessment Centre at the Vancouver General Hospital where Mentler was seeking help for suicidal ideation.

Mentler was told by the counsellor that the mental health system was "completely overwhelmed", there were no available beds, and the earliest that she could talk with a psychiatrist was in about five months. Then the counsellor asked Mentler if she had ever considered medically assisted suicide.

In August 2023 a story was published by the Richmond News explaining that had  euthanasia for mental illness existed in the past, Karim Jessa would be dead. Jessa, in his interview, explains that he opposes euthanasia for mental illness because, when he had hit rock bottom, he would have asked for an assisted death if it had been legal, but now he is a completely different person.

Psychiatrist John Maher stated in an interview with W5 in November 2022:

"There are cycles of illness. Some of it's up and down. It might be years. And then there is a burst of illness and suffering that we then take care of,” Maher said.

He said that MAiD for mental illness, is too close to suicide for his comfort.

“You're assisting someone in the completion of their suicide. The doctor is the sanitised gun,".

One of Maher's key concerns is how anyone can determine if someone with a mental illness is incurable, as is required by the legislation.

"I'm not at all disagreeing that there are people who have an irremediable illness. What I defy you or any other person in the universe to prove to me is that it's this person in front of you.”

Canada's euthanasia law has led to the abandonment of people with disabilities who are living with poverty, homelessness, have difficulty obtaining necessary medical treatment, and are living under unacceptable social conditions. 

Canada's euthanasia law is scheduled to expand to include euthanasia for psychological conditions on March 17, 2024. The result of this decision will be more of the same, except for the people with psychiatric conditions who will be encouraged to die.

Canada's euthanasia law has abandoned people living with difficult conditions to death.

Canada's euthanasia (MAiD) program has gone "mad".

More articles on this topic:

• Has Canada's euthanasia law gone too far? (Link)
• Psychiatrists: Do we offer hope or do we offer death (Link).
• The majority of Canadian oppose euthanasia for mental health (Link).
• Canada's euthanasia law is the most permissive in the world (Link).
• Canada to delay implementing euthanasia for mental illness (Link).
• Toronto Star: Canada is going too far with euthanasia (Link).
• Globe and Mail Editorial: No to euthanasia for mental disorders (Link).
• Euthanasia panel member quit: Proposals don't adequately protect Canadians with mental illness (Link).
• Offering euthanasia to a suicidal person leads to premature deaths (Link).
• Euthanizing the mentally ill without providing proper supports is reprehensible (Link).
• Euthanasia for mental illness. Killing people with an uncertain prognosis (Link).
• Profound social change with euthanasia for mental illness (Link).