Dear the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice,

In March 2021, Canada expanded the euthanasia law (Bill C-7) by removing the terminal illness requirement. Bill C-7 also added the option of euthanasia for mental illness alone. The government originally provided a two-year moratorium on euthanasia for mental illness to provide time to prepare, and in 2023, the government extended the moratorium until March 17, 2024.

In August 2022, we learned that a Canadian Armed Forces veteran seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury was shocked when a Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) employee unexpectedly and casually offered him medical assistance in dying (“MAiD”).

In June 2023, Kathrin Mentler was offered euthanasia at the Access and Assessment Centre at Vancouver General Hospital when she was seeking help for chronic suicidal ideation.

Legalizing euthanasia gives medical professionals the right in law to lethally inject their patients. Permitting euthanasia for mental illness alone directly contradicts the need for effective consent.

You stated on December 13 that the government is considering, “hitting the pause button” on euthanasia for mental illness.

I demand that the Canadian government reverse its decision to permit “MAiD” for mental illness alone.
I demand that Canadians with mental illness not be abandoned to death by euthanasia (“MAiD”).

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