"I would like to start by thanking Dying with Dignity Canada for the role your organization has played in relation to medical assistance in dying(or MAID) in Canada."
How pathetic is that? Congratulating the euthanasia cult in Canada.
From an ATIP to the Minister of Justice. The Minister is briefed on his upcoming meeting with Dying with Dignity on July 9, 2025:
"Title: Meeting of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice with Dying with Dignity Canada
Overview
You have a meeting with Dying with Dignity Canada (DWDC) on July 9, 2025. DWDC wants to meet to discuss how the Government can support the legalization of advance requests to receive medical assistance in dying (MAID) and the role that DWDC can play. Proposed talking points are attached at Annex 1.
DWDC is a human-rights charity committed to improving quality of dying, protecting end-of-life rights, and helping people avoid unwanted suffering. It is one of the largest pro-MAID advocacy groups in Canada and advocates for the expansion of MAID regarding advance requests, mental illness, and mature minors. DWDC have submitted briefs and testified before Parliamentary committees on the various bills and studies concerning MAID.
Background
Federal MAID Framework
On June 17, 2016, MAID was legalized in Canada for persons whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable through former Bill C-14, after the Supreme Court of Canada held in Carter v Canada (2015) that the criminal laws prohibiting assistance in dying were unconstitutional. Sections 241.1-241.4 of the Criminal Code now outline eligibility criteria and safeguards, while amendments to sections 227, 241 and 245 provide exemptions from offences such as homicide, where all of the eligibility criteria and safeguards are satisfied.
In 2019, the Superior Court of Quebec declared the requirement that natural death be reasonably foreseeable to be unconstitutional(Truchon). This decision declared the MAID framework at that time unconstitutional, stating the “reasonable foreseeability of natural death” criterion violates section 7 of the Charter for being too restrictive. The Attorney General of Canada did not appeal this decision and instead made the policy choice to expand eligibility for MAID. The eligibility for MAID was expanded to persons whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable through former Bill C-7, which received royal assent on March 17, 2021. Former Bill C-7 also temporarily excluded persons whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness from eligibility for MAID. Per former Bill C-7’s coming into force provisions, this exclusion outlined in subsection 1(2.1) was originally set to be repealed on the second anniversary of the coming into force of the bill, March 17, 2023. On March 9, 2023, through former Bill C-39, this was extended by one year to three years from the coming into force of former BillC-7. It was once again extended a further three years (for a total of six years from the coming into force of former Bill C-7) through former Bill C-62, until March 17, 2027. Bill C- 62 included a section that requires a joint parliamentary committee to undertake a comprehensive review relating to the eligibility for MAID of persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness that must commence by February 28, 2026. There has been criticism from stakeholders on the delay of the repeal of subsection 1(2.1)
MAID and Advance Requests
An advance request refers to situations where a person requests MAID before they are eligible and before they want to receive it and outlines the circumstances under which they would want to receive MAID, in the future, if such circumstances arise after they lose capacity. This is different than the waiver of final consent that permits a person whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable and who has been approved for MAID but risks losing capacity before the date on which MAID is scheduled to be provided to waive the requirement for final consent. Under federal law, this is the only circumstance under which MAID may be lawfully provided to a person who does not have capacity. The provision of MAID based on an advance request is not permitted under the Criminal Code.
MAID is a matter of shared jurisdiction. The criminal law aspect falls under the responsibility of the federal government while the health care aspect, including its implementation, falls under the responsibility of the provinces and territories. On June 7, 2023, the National Assembly of Quebec passed Bill 11, An Act to amend the Act respecting end-of-life care and other legislative provisions, which amended Quebec’s end-of-life law to permit the provision of MAID based on an advance request in the province. This is not permitted under the Criminal Code and so a practitioner in Quebec who provides MAID in accordance with Quebec’s law would commit a criminal offence (murder).
The previous Health and Justice ministers said publicly that the federal government would not initiate a challenge regarding the constitutionality of Quebec’s law, but that it remains a criminal offence to provide MAID based on an advance request. The previous government undertook a national conversation on advance requests from November 2024 to February 2025 to better understand the perceptions and views of people in Canada. Health Canada is expected to publish a report on key findings from the national conversation.
Talking Points
Meeting with Dying with Dignity Canada
•I would like to start by thanking Dying with Dignity Canada for the role your organization has played in relation to medical assistance in dying(or MAID) in Canada.
•The Government of Canada is committed to working with all partners and stakeholders to ensure that our MAID Laws reflect Canadians’ evolving needs, protect those who may be vulnerable, and support autonomy and freedom of choice.
•I am interested to hear your perspectives given the on-the-ground expertise your membership brings to this complex and deeply personal issue."
