OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP Ed Fast introduced a new private members bill last week that 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 this past Friday and received immediate praise from Canada’s top pro-life organization, Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), after it passed its first reading.
“This enactment amends the Criminal Code to provide that a mental disorder is not a grievous and irremediable medical condition for which a person could receive medical assistance in dying,” reads the bill.
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.”
“Clearly, we are on the slippery slope many of us had warned about, and Canadians have a right to ask who is next. Will it be the drug addicted, the indigent, the homeless, or needy veterans? What about willing seniors who are tired of life? Where does it end?” he added.
“My bill would reverse this momentum and repeal the government’s decision to extend MAiD to the mentally ill. The evidence from mental health experts is very clear. There is no consensus in Canada that the mentally ill should be covered by Canada’s medically assisted death regime.”
Falling short of reversing the already permissive nature of Canada’s current MAiD laws however, Fast stated during debate last Friday that Bill C-314 does not “in any way, reverse the rest of Canada’s MAiD regime.”
“Instead, it arrests Canada’s slide down the slippery slope of assisted suicide, which so many of us had predicted would happen,” he added
“I would respectfully ask that all of my parliamentary colleagues give thoughtful consideration to my bill, and join me in protecting and supporting the most vulnerable in our society.”
The Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau legalized euthanasia in 2016, and since that time has continued to push for further expansions in 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.
In a statement posted two weeks ago, CPC MP Michael Cooper, who serves as the Conservative Shadow Minister of Democratic Reform, said on behalf of his party that the Liberal’s one-year delay of MAiD “for mental illness is an admission of failure.”
The letter called upon the Liberal government to scrap its proposed expansion in its entirety.
Campaign Life Coalition gives its support to Fast’s bill
In a statement sent yesterday to LifeSiteNews, CLC National President Jeff Gunnarson lamented that Fast’s bill does not target “Canada’s MAiD regime” in its entirety, but expressed that it was important nonetheless.
“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,” said Gunnarson.
“This necessary law essentially says that enough is enough: Canada must care for people experiencing mental illness, and not push them to be killed.”
Gunnarson added that a reversal of Canada’s “ever-expanding euthanasia license” is the first step toward a “law that upholds the sanctity of all human life.”
“And that’s why we support this bill,” explained the pro-life leader.
Gunnarson, like Fast, noted that MAiD has been a “slippery slope,” and if not objected to will continue to expand to “include more and more groups of vulnerable Canadians,” as has already happened.
CLC also noted that it will be recording how each MP votes on the bill and will then publicize the results for each MPs constituents to access.
“CLC will ensure that come next election, voters will remember which MPs refused to stop Nazi-style medical eugenics,” stated CLC’s director of political operations Jack Fonseca.
“MPs who refused to stop Dr. Mengele-inspired ‘medicine’ to eliminate people no longer deemed ‘useful’ will have to wear it on their record,” he added.
In addition to pro-life advocates, even those in favor of euthanasia, abortion and other anti-life measures have spoken out publicly against the Trudeau Liberals MAiD program, saying it has gone too far.
CPC’s pro-abortion leader Pierre Poilievre recently slammed the Trudeau government, asking: “Will the Liberals recognize that we need to treat depression and give people hope for better lives rather than ending their lives?”