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OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) – Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leader Pierre Poilievre says he will support a bill that would stop the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “reckless” expansion of the nation’s euthanasia laws to those with mental illness.

“Conservatives are calling for Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government to protect vulnerable Canadians and immediately end their expansion of medically assisted death to those with mental illness,” the CPC said in a press release Monday.

“The Liberal government continues to ignore the growing number of experts who say that MAiD expansion is risking the lives of the most vulnerable Canadians.”

At a press conference Monday, Poilievre highlighted a new bill introduced by MP Ed Fast a few weeks back that would reverse the expansion of Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAiD) laws.

Poilievre, who is pro-abortion, said he would support Bill C-314 as it would repeal the expansion of Canada’s euthanasia laws to those suffering solely from mental illness.

The bill – officially known as Bill C-314, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying) – was introduced to the House of Commons on February 10.

“After eight years of Justin Trudeau, everything feels broken and people feel broken. That’s why many are suffering from depression and they’re losing hope. Our job is to turn their hurt back into hope, to give them faith that their lives can be better tomorrow than they are today. To treat mental health problems rather than ending people’s lives,” Poilievre said.

“Yet the government says that in less than a year it will be providing medical assistance in dying to people whose only condition is depression or mental illness.”

Poilievre added that the CPC’s goal is to help people with mental illness “get through the valley and back to the mountaintop.”

“And that is why I am pleased to support the private member’s bill of Member of Parliament Ed Fast that would ensure that medical assistance, dying and dying is not the solution to people suffering with their mental health.”

Bill C-314 received praise from Canada’s top pro-life organization, Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), after it passed its first reading last month.

“Fast’s bill would ensure that the delay would be permanent and that these vulnerable Canadians are protected and cared for, not killed by the physicians who should be helping them with their mental illness,” CLC national president Jeff Gunnarson said.

Fast said of his bill shortly after it was introduced that the government expanding medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to “include mentally ill persons” and potentially even so-called “mature minors” shows Canada is on a “slippery slope.”

Yesterday, Fast noted that his bill, “which is the Mental Health Protection Act, will reverse and revoke the inclusion of the mentally ill under Canada’s MAiD regime.”

“Let me be clear. There is no consensus across Canada that medically assisted suicide should be extended to the mentally ill. None. In fact, the government failed to engage in meaningful consultations with experts and mental health stakeholders on a broad,” Fast said.

“It is deeply concerning that this government appears to be inexorably moving from a culture of life to a culture of death. So my bill seeks to address that momentum and give the government and all Canadians time to reconsider the direction the government appears to be taking us when it comes to assisted suicide and euthanasia.”

Trudeau’s Liberal government legalized euthanasia in 2016. Since that time, he has continued to push to  further expand who can qualify for state-sanctioned death.

The expansion to include those suffering solely from mental illness came as part of the 2021 passage of Bill C-7, which also allowed the chronically ill – not just the terminally ill – to qualify for doctor-assisted death.

The mental illness expansion was originally set to take effect next month. However, after massive pushback from pro-life groups, conservative politicians, and others, the Trudeau Liberals have since decided to delay the introduction of the full effects of Bill C-7 until 2024 via Bill C-39.

During debate on Bill C-39, Canadian Minster of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett caused a stir after appearing to have a “Freudian slip” when she acknowledged that people who provide euthanasia are indeed “trained” to “eliminate” suicidal people.

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