Dear Allies,
After communicating with you through press
releases over the past few weeks (twice on the five-year report of the
Commission on end of life care and twice on the recommendations made by a UN committee to Canada – more on this
below), we are back in newsletter format to provide you with some information
of interest in the midst of the federal election campaign.
I am looking forward to participating in
several activities in the field over the next few weeks and hope to meet you
along the way.
On behalf of the entire citizen network team,
thank you for your much-needed support.
Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre
Coordinator
Living with Dignity
The recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are struggling to resonate in Canada
On March 26, the United Nations Committee on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recommended that Canada repeal Track 2
of its medical assistance in dying law (reminder of our press release). Have you heard anything about it
since then?
Some media outlets in English Canada have
covered the subject in recent weeks. Here are some examples:
March 30: ‘Extremely concerned’: UN tells
Canada to stop Track 2 MAiD.
Canadian Affairs (paywall) https://www.canadianaffairs.news/2025/03/30/extremely-concerned-un-tells-canada-to-stop-track-2-maid
April 1: United Nations report recommends
Canada repeal MAID for people without terminal illnesses
The Globe and Mail (paywall) https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-united-nations-report-recommends-canada-repeal-maid-for-people-without
April 6: United Nations report says Canada
should repeal MAID for people with non-terminal illness
CTV News https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/united-nations-report-says-canada-should-repeal-maid-for-people-with-non-terminal-illness
April 7: UN disability rights report on
assisted-dying regime deserves a fair hearing.
Open letter from Catherine Frazee, The
Hill Times (paywall) https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/04/07/un-disability-rights-report-on-assisted-dying-regime-deserves-a-fair-hearing/455988/
The coverage is also very thin in the
French-speaking media in the country. The only media coverage was that on the
CKIA FM program “Les capés” with Michel Bédard, who interviewed our coordinator
Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre on March 26 at 20:00 on Facebook Live https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=971561841731278
We will be working hard over the next few days
to break down this wall of silence, which is doing nobody any favors.
Awaiting the federal parties' election platforms
Since the launch of the federal election
campaign, the issue of expanding medical aid in dying has generally not been
addressed by the various parties in the running.
We invite you to remind your local candidates
of your wish to put an end to the expansion of access to medical aid in dying,
especially in light of the findings of the UN Committee (see above). Their
first concern should be to commit to undoing the expansion of access to MAID
for people whose “sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness” (a
measure planned for March 2027).
Only one party has spoken out on the repeal of Track
2 of MAiD, the Greens:
https://www.greenparty.ca/en/news/greens-respond-to-un-recommendation-on-track-2-maid
It will also be interesting to hear the various
parties’ views on potential expansions regarding advance requests for MAiD
(still contrary to the Criminal Code) and mature minors.
We invite you to follow this debate where these
issues could possibly be discussed between representatives of the main parties:
Canadian federal elections debate, Monday, April 14 in Montreal at 7
p.m. EST, organized by COPHAN (Confédération des organismes de personnes
handicapées du Québec) in collaboration with ARCH Disability Law Center and the
Council of Canadians with Disabilities.
https://cophan.org/2025/04/debate-canadian-federal-elections-monday-april-14th-2025-at-7pm-est-montreal-for-people-with-disabilities-living-in-canada/ Accessible live stream and includes
ASL, LSQ and live translation in French and English. You must register to
follow the live debate on Zoom and we encourage you to submit your questions
now!
Clinical Ethics Day: the ethical issues of MAID in end-of-life care
We will be representing you on April 10 at a
Clinical Ethics Day (Journée d’éthique clinique) on the topic of the ethical
issues of MAiD in end-of-life care.
You can attend the 7th JEC in person at CHU
Sainte-Justine (Montreal) this Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., but it is
also possible to attend the conference virtually. Again, you must register!
All the details of the program (in French) are
here: https://event.fourwaves.com/fr/jec2025
Revue de presse
Five suggestions:
“Throughout history, people who have
considered the question of euthanasia have been against it. Look at the
Hippocratic Oath, which dates back to Plato… Today, there is an unprecedented
progressive arrogance that wants to wipe the slate clean of the past”
– Michel Houellebecq in this Figaro TV program.
Dr. Claire Fourcade is also a guest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnaYtg8IWw8
Rushing to death in Canada’s MAiD regime:
Ramona Coelho for Inside Policy
New reports from Ontario’s Medical Assistance
in Dying Review Committee (MDRC) raise questions about whether proper
assessments, thorough exploration of suffering and informed consent have been
consistently practiced by medical assistance in dying clinicians.
https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/rushing-to-death-in-canadas-maid-regime-ramona-coelho-for-inside-policy
‘I could live 30 years but plan to die’: How
assisted dying law is dividing Canadians
“April Hubbard is sitting on the theater stage
where she plans to die later this year. She is not terminally ill, but the
39-year-old performer, who specializes in variety and burlesque, has been
granted MAiD under Canada’s increasingly liberal laws.” https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3wxq28znpqo
A passion that Alzheimer’s will never erase
“Despite Alzheimer’s, I am the happiest man in the world.”
“These people have the right to have a reason
to get up in the morning and to have a reason to live.”
– Nicole Poirier, Founder and Executive
Director, Carpe Diem
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/info/long-format/2148920/alzheimer-tir-arc-carpe-diem
APR
2025