The Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada said while a bill blocking medical assistance in dying (MAiD) for people with mental illnesses failed to pass, the debate will continue. “We can so easily get caught up in the fact that a bill did not pass,” said ARPA Canada in a blog post. “But the number of MPs who supported this bill sends a message that Canadians are not done with this issue yet.” A private member’s bill to prevent people with mental illnesses from receiving MAiD was defeated by a vote of 167 to 150 at second reading in Parliament on Wednesday.READ MORE: Conservatives, NDP, Greens unite behind failed bill to stop MAiD for mentally illBill C-314 was introduced by Conservative MP Ed Fast (Abbotsford, BC) in February. All 117 Conservative MPs, all 25 New Democrats, the two Greens, one independent and eight Liberals voted for Bill C-314. No Bloc Quebecois MPs voted for it. The expansion of MAiD for people with mental illnesses was first introduced in 2021 through Bill C-7, and the Senate included an amendment to make it happen as of March. In the meantime, many organizations voiced their concerns about this proposal. Doctors, psychiatrists, lawyers and researchers flagged many problems with expanding access for those with mental illnesses. In response, the Canadian government delayed the expansion. The Canadian government introduced Bill C-39 in February, delaying the expansion of MAiD to Canadians whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder.READ MORE: Cabinet introduces bill to delay expanding MAiD“The safety of Canadians must come first, which is why we are taking additional time to get this right,” said former justice minister and attorney general David Lametti. Under Canada's MAiD law at the time, anyone suffering from a mental illness who met all eligibility criteria could have received it in March. But the legislation introduced by Lametti, former health minister Jean-Yves Duclos, and former mental health and addictions minister Carolyn Bennett will extend the temporary exclusion period until March 17, 2024.In the meantime, ARPA said Canadians have been engaged on MAiD. It said people have seen stories in the media about concerns about the expansion, people being offered it and those trying to access it because they cannot obtain the care they need. Canadians have emailed and met with their MPs, talked with neighbours, and spread the message of caring, not killing. Supporters of its Care Not Kill campaign delivered almost 250,000 flyers to create awareness about the expansion and the importance of passing C-314. In a show of how outraged some politicians were, NDP MP Don Davies (Vancouver-Kingsway, BC) noted his concern about extending MAiD to those with mental illnesses. “Bill C-314, the bill before the House today, would remove this eligibility at least until we have satisfactory answers and guardrails to ensure that we can extend this profoundly permanent step with confidence,” said Davies. “In my view, we do not have that necessary confidence today, and I think the majority of Canadians and health professionals, and the data, concur.” Due to calls to support C-314, the Canadian government indicated it will re-strike the joint committee that studied MAiD earlier this year. ARPA said it seems to believe it needs enough time to get the technicalities resolved as it pertains to MAiD and mental illness. Despite concerns, it has not so far proposed any new safeguards for those with mental illness. ARPA vowed to continue to seek to influence the conversation, including at the joint committee when it resumes meeting.Fast closed his debate by saying he wants “my descendants to live, to prosper, to thrive, and I want the same for our mentally ill, our indigenous peoples and indeed all Canadians.”“It is time to end this experiment,” said Fast. “With so much uncertainty, surely we should err on the side of life, not death.”ARPA concluded by saying Canadians “must continue putting pressure on elected officials to care, not kill.”“And while we do so, we continue to trust that God holds the future in His hands,” it said.
The Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada said while a bill blocking medical assistance in dying (MAiD) for people with mental illnesses failed to pass, the debate will continue. “We can so easily get caught up in the fact that a bill did not pass,” said ARPA Canada in a blog post. “But the number of MPs who supported this bill sends a message that Canadians are not done with this issue yet.” A private member’s bill to prevent people with mental illnesses from receiving MAiD was defeated by a vote of 167 to 150 at second reading in Parliament on Wednesday.READ MORE: Conservatives, NDP, Greens unite behind failed bill to stop MAiD for mentally illBill C-314 was introduced by Conservative MP Ed Fast (Abbotsford, BC) in February. All 117 Conservative MPs, all 25 New Democrats, the two Greens, one independent and eight Liberals voted for Bill C-314. No Bloc Quebecois MPs voted for it. The expansion of MAiD for people with mental illnesses was first introduced in 2021 through Bill C-7, and the Senate included an amendment to make it happen as of March. In the meantime, many organizations voiced their concerns about this proposal. Doctors, psychiatrists, lawyers and researchers flagged many problems with expanding access for those with mental illnesses. In response, the Canadian government delayed the expansion. The Canadian government introduced Bill C-39 in February, delaying the expansion of MAiD to Canadians whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder.READ MORE: Cabinet introduces bill to delay expanding MAiD“The safety of Canadians must come first, which is why we are taking additional time to get this right,” said former justice minister and attorney general David Lametti. Under Canada's MAiD law at the time, anyone suffering from a mental illness who met all eligibility criteria could have received it in March. But the legislation introduced by Lametti, former health minister Jean-Yves Duclos, and former mental health and addictions minister Carolyn Bennett will extend the temporary exclusion period until March 17, 2024.In the meantime, ARPA said Canadians have been engaged on MAiD. It said people have seen stories in the media about concerns about the expansion, people being offered it and those trying to access it because they cannot obtain the care they need. Canadians have emailed and met with their MPs, talked with neighbours, and spread the message of caring, not killing. Supporters of its Care Not Kill campaign delivered almost 250,000 flyers to create awareness about the expansion and the importance of passing C-314. In a show of how outraged some politicians were, NDP MP Don Davies (Vancouver-Kingsway, BC) noted his concern about extending MAiD to those with mental illnesses. “Bill C-314, the bill before the House today, would remove this eligibility at least until we have satisfactory answers and guardrails to ensure that we can extend this profoundly permanent step with confidence,” said Davies. “In my view, we do not have that necessary confidence today, and I think the majority of Canadians and health professionals, and the data, concur.” Due to calls to support C-314, the Canadian government indicated it will re-strike the joint committee that studied MAiD earlier this year. ARPA said it seems to believe it needs enough time to get the technicalities resolved as it pertains to MAiD and mental illness. Despite concerns, it has not so far proposed any new safeguards for those with mental illness. ARPA vowed to continue to seek to influence the conversation, including at the joint committee when it resumes meeting.Fast closed his debate by saying he wants “my descendants to live, to prosper, to thrive, and I want the same for our mentally ill, our indigenous peoples and indeed all Canadians.”“It is time to end this experiment,” said Fast. “With so much uncertainty, surely we should err on the side of life, not death.”ARPA concluded by saying Canadians “must continue putting pressure on elected officials to care, not kill.”“And while we do so, we continue to trust that God holds the future in His hands,” it said.
