A group of speakers including medical professionals, advocates, and family members of MAID recipients held a press conference Friday urging Members of Parliament to support Bill C-218. The private member’s bill, sponsored by Conservative MP Tamara Jansen, seeks to permanently exclude mental illness as the sole underlying condition for eligibility under Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying system. The bill proposes changes to the Criminal Code that would prevent MAID approval in cases where a patient’s only diagnosis is a psychiatric one. The legislation is expected to return to the House of Commons for debate in February, with a vote anticipated in March..Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, opened the event warning that extending access to MAID in cases involving mental illness alone risks placing vulnerable Canadians at greater harm.He read a letter from a woman who survived a suicide attempt, received treatment, and went on to finish school, build a career and start a family.He said her story illustrates why people struggling with mental illness need treatment and support rather than access to assisted death.Kelsi Sharen, a military veteran, author and public speaker, argued that MAID policies have strayed from their original intent..She said some veterans who contacted federal agencies seeking assistance were instead offered information on MAID, and claimed one accepted the option in September.Sharen said suffering Canadians are being directed toward death in cases tied to trauma, disability or poverty, rather than offered adequate care.“Offering death to somebody who came forward asking for help is not medical care,” she said, describing the expansion of MAID as a violation of human rights.Alicia Duncan, whose mother Donna died through MAID in 2021 following deteriorating mental health after a concussion, said her family was blocked from accessing medical assessment records even during a police investigation..Duncan told reporters her mother had attempted suicide prior to the MAID procedure and was discharged from psychiatric care days before her death.She argued that oversight remains insufficient and that Canada cannot responsibly provide death when meaningful access to care is lacking.Duncan urged Canadians to contact their representatives ahead of the vote, saying the legislation could prevent similar cases.Family physician Dr. Paul Saba warned that the expansion of MAID to mental illness may be influenced by financial considerations..She cited a study published in Sage that projected more than a trillion dollars in potential savings over two decades if access to MAID increased among elderly and mentally ill populations.Saba argued that diagnostic uncertainty and the potential for recovery make it impossible to determine when mental illness is irremediable. He said the desire to die is often a symptom of mental illness itself, and therefore informed consent cannot be reliably established.Supporters of Bill C-218 say the measure is necessary to prevent avoidable deaths and ensure individuals with mental health challenges receive care..Critics of restricting MAID, who were not present at the event, have previously maintained that limiting eligibility undermines personal autonomy and end-of-life rights.Advocates at the press conference countered that the right to die should not override the right to access treatment.“Canadians deserve better mental-health care than death,” Schadenberg said.
