Catholic Vancouver October 12, 2023
Abbotsford MP hopeful about bill to block MAiD for mental illness
By Nicholas Elbers
Abbotsford Member of Parliament Ed Fast keeps an optimistic frame of mind about his proposed legislation to protect the mentally ill from assisted suicide.
Fast told The B.C. Catholic that his Bill C-314 is specific in its aims to exclude the mentally ill from inclusion in Bill C-7, which is set to become law next spring, which removes the reasonable foreseeability of death test from determining MAiD eligibility.
When originally conceived, Bill C-7 had specifically excluded the mentally ill from its scope. Reasons cited were the difficulty in accurately screening for decision-making capacity in those with mental illness, the low predictability of mental illness, and concerns about developments in countries like the Netherlands and Belgium that have already allowed access to assisted suicide for the mentally ill.
The exception was removed after the Senate passed an amendment to allow mental illness as a condition for euthanasia. The government accepted the amendment.
“Between the Liberals, the NDP, and the Conservatives in house, I would hope there is enough common sense to put a hold to this madness,” the Conservative MP told The B.C. Catholic in an interview at his Abbotsford office.
“I believe this is an egregious overreach on the part of government to include the most vulnerable in our society under Canada’s assisted suicide legislation,” he said.
Fast believes most Canadians agree with him that MAiD for the mentally ill is a step too far, and a recent Angus Reid Institute public opinion poll, conducted in partnership with Cardus, has shown that most Canadians have serious reservations about assisted suicide being offered to the mentally ill. (See details below)
According to the poll, about 82 per cent of Canadians oppose expanding MAiD before investing in better access to mental health supports, and 52 per cent fear if euthanasia does get wider approval, treating mental health will no longer be viewed as a priority.
“We know the federal government has promised for years now to deliver significantly increased mental health and palliative care funding to the provinces,” Fast said. “That funding has not materialized in the amounts needed to address national mental health problems in Canada.”
“MAiD is a way of removing the problem,” Fast said.
Fast said he intentionally drafted his bill in a non-partisan way. “I was hoping the way I introduced and promoted my legislation that my colleagues would understand that this is about my care and concern for the most vulnerable in our society,” he said.
And Fast seems to have gotten what he wanted. Bill C-314 looks to receive cross-party support, notably from NDP MP for Vancouver, Kingsway Don Davis , and Liberal MP for Thunder Bay, Rainy River Marcus Powlowski, who has actively promoted and defended the interests of the mentally ill.
Fast was surprised but thankful that the NDP is allowing its MPs to vote their conscience on this issue, and he is hoping the Liberals will do the same. In phone calls with Liberal MPs, many have told him they intend to vote in favour of Bill C-314.
“I know that many [Liberal MPs] have very good and generous hearts and understand [offering MAiD to the mentally ill] is a bridge too far,” said Fast. He hopes to speak with the justice minister [Arif Virani] in the coming days to ask him to allow a “full and free vote based on conscience” for Liberals MPs when Parliament votes on October 18.
The Bloc Quebecois seems posed to vote en masse in opposition to his bill, but Fast hopes a coalition of NDP, Liberal, and Conservative MPs will be able to vote his bill through.
“It is the least we can do when we make a mistake, like we did in Bill C-7, to correct the error,” said Fast.
Fast hopes supporters will contact their MPs. “The difference maker will be the Liberal MPs. Call your Liberal MP. Call your MP period. Tell them you expect them to vote in favour of defending the mentally ill.”
Canadians oppose euthanasia before treatment for mental illness: poll
Most Canadians are apprehensive about offering euthanasia to the mentally ill, according to a public opinion poll released by Angus Reid Institute in partnership with think tank Cardus.
The findings come as the federal government plans to expand euthanasia access for the sole condition of mental illness next spring.
The poll found that 82 per cent of Canadians are against the expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying to the mentally ill without first expanding mental health care access, while 88 per cent of Canadians believe that all treatment options should be exhausted before euthanasia and assisted suicide are made available to the mentally ill.
The majority of Canadians fear offering euthanasia as a solution for mental health problems will detrimentally affect mental health services in Canada. Of those polled, 64 per cent fear people with mental health problems will only become more vulnerable if eligibility for assisted suicide is expanded to include them, while 80 per cent are concerned both about the level of mental health care resources available and access to that care. Cardus said the figure is particularly concerning because nearly three in four people who receive mental health treatment say that it helped them.
At a Sept. 27 Cardus event, Executive Vice President Ray Pennings said the expansion of MAiD to the mentally ill will ultimately erode faith in the health care system as assisted suicide replaces genuine mental health treatments. Any expansion of assisted suicide will exacerbate the current problems people have accessing mental health care, he said.
In a press release, Rebecca Vachon, health program director at Cardus, said Canada needs to address existing issues in the availability and accessibility of mental health care before expanding MAiD.
“The federal government’s current expansion plans are irresponsible,” said Vachon, citing the plan to expand MAiD for mental illness as a sole underlying condition in March 2024. “Canadians clearly want better access to mental health. That should be the federal government’s priority on this file.”
The Cardus survey also found that 43 per cent of Canadians who sought help for their own mental health had difficulty accessing in-patient programs for suicide prevention, eating disorders, addictions, or other serious issues. Meanwhile, 44 per cent had difficulty accessing general mental health therapy, while 39 per cent had difficulty getting counselling. Many also noted high costs and long wait times.
“It’s striking that two-thirds of Canadians believe expanded euthanasia will make those who need help even more vulnerable,” said Vachon. “We can’t ignore Canadians’ fears that euthanasia will also displace mental health care as we quickly approach the March 2024 expansion. Clearly we need more time.”