Despite recent revisions to guidelines for Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) in Canadian prisons announced in March, correctional investigator Ivan Zinger remains concerned about a process that remains opaque to public scrutiny. 

As support for euthanasia grows across the country, the line between genuine and holistic palliative care and medical assistance in dying has become increasingly blurred nearly inconclusively according to palliative care professionals in Canada.

The Court of Appeal of Alberta has granted the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) intervenor status in the controversial case of a 27-year-old Calgary woman with autism seeking approval for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) against her father’s wishes.

A decision by a judge in Calgary, Alberta, in favor of a young woman seeking medically assisted suicide over her father's objections amounts to "the blatant devaluing of persons with disabilities," a Canadian activist told OSV News.

The grim calculus of tracking the cost of Medical Assistance in Dying shows that B.C. doctors receive $283.85 for every “MAiD Event preparation and Procedure” they perform.

Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) access for individuals solely living with a mental illness is officially delayed until March 17, 2027, as the Senate of Canada passed Bill C-62 at third reading Feb. 29.  

Speakers at a rally on Parliament Hill demanded the federal government provide more life-saving supports for those deeply suffering from mental illness rather than giving them access to medical assistance in dying (MAiD).

Canada is already too far down the slippery slope with regard to medically assisted dying, and should aim for “living with dignity” as opposed to “dying with dignity” say proponents of more compassionate alternatives for the mentally ill and other vulnerable populations.

The federal government established a pathway for Bill C-62 — the legislation that, if passed by Parliament before March 17, will halt the expansion of Canada’s euthanasia regime for at least two years — to likely progress through the House of Commons before the end of Feb. 15. 

The director of the B.C. Aboriginal Network on Disability Society perfectly summarized last week’s delay in extending doctor-delivered death to the mentally ill. “It’s not like a win or anything,” Neil Belanger told Register reporter Anna Farrow.

In what could prove to be a landmark case for religious and conscience rights in Canada, Montreal’s Archbishop Christian Lépine has taken on the Attorney General of Quebec.

The federal government is planning to delay its planned expansion of assisted suicide for individuals sole living with mental illness until March 2027.

Groups battling the federal government’s expansion of MAiD to the mentally ill say the delay announced Jan. 29 is no cause to claim victory.

Christian lawyer Lia Milousis hoped the votable resolution she and Kerri Froc submitted to the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) would convince the federal government to delay once again expanding medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to individuals solely dealing with a mental health illness. 

Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani said Dec. 13 that the Liberals are contemplating pausing plans to broaden the eligibility of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to individuals solely with a mental illness beginning March 17. Cabinet will weigh the feedback offered by a joint parliamentary committee, medical professionals and other stakeholders.