When someone calls the Saskatchewan government 811 healthcare line and picks option five, it is the “Medical Assistance in Dying Program” (MAID)..Government-assisted suicide is legal in Canada, but was meant to be used sparingly for extreme cases..Nick Myers, Saskatchewan Health Authority Media Relations specialist, did not answer the Western Standards questions or forward them to someone who could, but provided a link to the SHA’s section on MAID..The SHA’s MAID information answered none of the questions..People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier sent out two tweets on Friday showing the ease of access to the MAID program..Bernier pointed out that MAID was intended to be a very restricted procedure..“It’s horrifying to see how quickly MAID went from being a very restricted, difficult-to-get procedure to limit the suffering of people in end-of-life situations, to now being pushed on patients with various chronic conditions or mental health issues, as many cases have recently been reported in the media,” Bernier told the Western Standard..Bernier is shocked at how easy it's being offered in Saskatchewan..“I was shocked to see that it’s also now being casually offered as an option among others when you call the 811 Health Line in Saskatchewan. And this at a time when it takes months to be able to see a specialist or get a surgery,” said Bernier..Bernier questions the government’s intention with the MAID program, are they trying to euthanize people instead of caring for them through the healthcare system?.“Are we getting to a point where we’re pushing people to choose euthanasia because our dysfunctional healthcare system doesn’t have the resources to treat them?” said Bernier..The Saskatchewan NDP issued no comment on MAID.
