Conservative MP introduces bill to block MAiD expansion to Canadians suffering mental illness

• Conservative MP Tamara Jansen introduced Bill C-218 on June 20, aiming to amend the Criminal Code to block the planned 2027 expansion of Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to individuals suffering solely from mental illness.
• The bill would specify that mental disorders are not “grievous and irremediable medical conditions,” thereby disqualifying them as valid grounds for MAiD eligibility.
• The expansion of MAiD to include mental illness was approved under Bill C-7 in 2021 but was delayed twice by the federal government following public and expert backlash. It is now scheduled to take effect in March 2027.
• The bill has received strong support from Conservative MPs and pro-life Christian organizations, who argue that extending MAiD to mental illness is dangerous and undermines hope and recovery.
• In 2022, MAiD became the sixth leading cause of death in Canada, with over 13,000 deaths, a 31.2 percent increase from the previous year, raising alarm among critics about the rapid expansion and ethical implications of the program.

A new Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) bill that seeks to stop Canada’s pending expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to individuals suffering solely from mental illness has been introduced in the House of Commons.

The Private Members Bill, known as C-218 or “An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying [i.e., euthanasia]),” was introduced by Conservative MP Tamara Jansen in the House of Commons on June 20. The legislation passed its first reading that same day.

C-218 seeks to amend the Criminal Code to specify that a mental disorder is not considered a “grievous and irremediable medical condition,” thereby disqualifying it as grounds for receiving MAiD. “Canadians are watching and they need us to stand up for life, for dignity, for hope. It’s my honor and privilege to rise today and introduce an act to amend the Criminal Code on medical assistance in dying,” she said.

The proposed expansion of MAiD to include mental illness is currently set to come into effect in March 2027, after being delayed twice by the Liberal government amid concerns raised by medical professionals and legal experts. The government initially passed legislation allowing for the expansion in 2021, following court rulings that broadened the criteria for eligibility.

However, Jansen said the proposed changes represent a dangerous shift, conflating vulnerability with hopelessness and replacing care with what she called “state-sponsored abandonment.”

“That’s not healthcare, that’s not compassion, it’s abandonment,” she said. “Mental illness is treatable. Recovery is possible, but only if we show up and help.”

Conservative MPs and Canadian pro-life Christian organizations back C-218

In 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau legalized Canada’s MAiD. Since then, MAiD has been one of the leading causes of death in the country.

According to the latest data from Health Canada, assisted suicide is now the sixth leading cause of death in the country. In 2022, 13,241 Canadians died through lethal injection under the MAiD program, accounting for 4.1 percent of all deaths that year. This marked a 31.2 percent increase from 2021, the first year the procedure was extended to individuals who were not considered terminally ill. (Related: Canada postpones expansion of euthanasia program to mentally ill people, but the Trudeau government promises to kill them eventually.)

In line with this, C-218 has been welcomed by her fellow conservative MPs and Canadian pro-life and faith-based organizations, who have long warned about what they see as a slippery slope in the country’s euthanasia policy.

“I fully support MP Tamara Jansen’s Bill C-218 to permanently SCRAP the Liberals’ RADICAL AND INHUMANE plan to expand MAID for mental illness,” wrote CPC MP Michael Cooper on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The evidence is OVERWHELMING – this CANNOT be done safely. End this MADNESS. Pass the Bill.”

Meanwhile, Canadian pro-life Christian organizations view it as a positive step toward curbing the ongoing expansion of what they call “so-called medical assistance in dying.”

MedicalViolence.com has more related stories.

Watch the video below that talks about assisted suicide and how fragile public opinion on this is.

This video is from the CHP Canada channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Child murder: Canada mulls rolling out EUTHANASIA for 12-year-old kids.

Canada expands euthanasia “mercy” killing to ensnare society’s most vulnerable, including children.

KILLING THE HELPLESS: Canada set to legalize euthanasia for mentally ill patients.

Op-ed: EUTHANASIA of young, healthy women in the Netherlands a warning to Canada.

Canada attempting to expand EUTHANASIA program to allow assisted suicide of the mentally ill.

Sources include:

TheLifeSiteNews.com

ARPACanada.ca

Brighteon.com