People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier says he wants to put more restrictions on Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) laws, including preventing doctors from recommending suicide to their patients.."It is too open right now, so I am in favour of putting more restrictions on it, so it will be like it was supposed to be," he said.."Right now, in our country, there's a culture of death, instead of promoting life.".Beginning in March 2023, Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) law will be expanded to include Canadians whose only condition is suffering from a mental illness..Parliament voted to pass federal legislation allowing for MAiD in 2016. Bernier, who was a Conservative MP at the time, voted in favour of the bill, but he said that was only because MPs were being told it would be "very restrictive," and only be for cases where death was reasonably foreseeable.."That is no longer the case," Bernier said..MAiD was brought into the spotlight in November after 47-year-old Roger Foley, who suffers from cerebellar ataxia, claimed MAiD was being pushed on him by hospital caretakers. ."Mr. Foley was told by hospital staff he had stayed in the hospital for too long and if he did not receive self-directed funding, he should apply for assisted death as an option," the lawsuit claimed..Then a week later, the story of a 54-year-old Ontario man went viral. City News reported Amir Farsoud, who suffers from chronic pain due to a back injury, is applying for MAiD because he's at risk of losing his housing and fears becoming homeless. .“It’s not my first choice," Farsoud said of MAiD. "I don't want to die, but I don't want to be homeless more than I don't want to die.".In response to the story, Bernier said on Twitter, "MAiD is out of control.".On Wednesday, it was reported Farsoud changed his mind about MAiD after his GoFundMe raised more than $60,000 in financial support. But Canada currently leads the world in assisted suicides, with 10,064 people choosing to end their lives in 2021 compared to just 7,666 in the Netherlands..Bernier said he does not want to "tell people what to do with their lives," but want to ensure that Canada's MAiD laws are more restrictive. He also cited concerns with reports doctors are being encouraged to bring up MAiD to their patients.."I believe they must not have the right to suggestion. It must come from the patient or from the family of the patient," he said. "And now they are offering it to young people. MAiD is too open.".The leader of the People's Party cited issues with Canada's "socialist" healthcare system that might be pushing Canadians towards considering MAiD. He said if Canadians are unable to get the proper medication or treatments for their medical conditions, they may see MAiD as their only option.."We must have a healthcare system that is more efficient," Bernier said. "Like other countries in Europe, where they have a mixed system of both private and public delivery of healthcare services, but everybody is under universal coverage. That's the best system, but we don't have that."
