Government-assisted suicide has been eliminated from the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA) “Dial 811” healthcare line after People's Party of Canada (PPC) Leader Maxime Bernier exposed it on social media in August..When someone called 811, option five on the menu connected the caller with the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program. .Option five is no longer the MAID program..READ MORE Dial 811 for easy access to Sask government-assisted suicide .According to the Saskatchewan government, MAID is a “compassionate, patient-centred, family-focused care” program for people seeking to end their life..In an August 25 tweet, Bernier posted a video of PPC Western Canada Lieutenant Kelly Lorencz and himself calling 811 and showing that option five was for MAID..Bernier tweeted “Press 5 if you want us to kill you” and described it as a ”death cult.”.Bernier supports MAID and voted for the program when he was a Conservative member of parliament. .When Bernier supported MAID, it was a “very restricted procedure” and not something the government should be promoting..“It must come from the patient or from the families and friends of the patient,” said Bernier..“And so it is not the role of the medical personnel to promote that, because when they’re doing that, it is viewed, maybe wrongly, like putting pressure on a patient to end his or her life.”.It surprised Bernier that the Saskatchewan government reversed course and eliminated it as an 811 option.. Maxime BernierMaxime Bernier .“I’m pleased and a little bit surprised, and it’s a good thing the government decided to not offer that option anymore,” said Bernier. .“For me, that is telling me that we were right about it and common sense is prevailing.”.Minister of Mental Health Everett Hindley told the SHA to remove the MAID option from the 811 menu..“It does not make sense to greet people with a message that could potentially imply that suicide is an option,” said Hindley..The Saskatchewan NDP disagrees with the removal from the 811 menu..“Although it is important to be sensitive to the needs of 811 callers who may be at risk of suicide, the government should find a solution to ensure that residents calling 811 seeking information about how to access MAID can find it,” the NDP said in a statement.
