Reining in MAiD: political parties shy away from commenting on B.C. euthanasia policy

With the October 19 provincial election just four months away, the leaders of two of B.C.’s smallest political parties are saying the province should flex its jurisdictional muscles to rein in the rapid rise of euthanasia in B.C.

Rod Taylor, leader of the Christian Heritage Party of B.C., said in an email interview that his party would move to curtail or eliminate Medical Assistance in Dying and would not hesitate to invoke the Charter of Rights and Freedom’s notwithstanding clause to override any constitutional challenges to such measures.

“CHP-BC stands unequivocally for the protection of innocent human life from conception until natural death,” Taylor said, a position that aligns with Catholic teachings.

“Both abortion and euthanasia (MAiD) violate that principle and we would use every legal avenue to resist, reduce or mitigate their practice or extension in British Columbia.”

Alex Joehl, leader of the B.C. Libertarian Party, told The B.C. Catholic that, while not philosophically opposed to the right to euthanasia, a Libertarian government would take steps not only to limit access to it but also to eliminate an inherent pro-MAiD bias in the province’s health-care system.

“At some point, the provincial government has a conflict of interest because they are responsible for the well-being and general health of all residents, but also have recommended end-of-life options for some residents,” Mr. Joehl said. “So, because health funding is rationed, the health authority may be motivated to ‘remove’ people from the elongated wait lines.”

Current polling suggests that neither party is likely to elect a single Member of the Legislative Assembly, let alone form government. But The B.C. Catholic turned to them after neither BC United nor the Conservative Party of B.C. responded to repeated requests to say what measures they would take regarding euthanasia access or funding.

Statistics Canada reported that 194 British Columbians died by euthanasia in 2016, the first year it was legal in Canada. The total rose to 2,515 in 2022, representing 21 percent of MAiD deaths in the country, although B.C.’s population comprises only 14 per cent of Canada’s total.

Taylor, 72, from Telkwa, B.C., said a CHP government would move immediately to make it illegal for a medical professional to suggest or promote euthanasia of a patient. “This alone would greatly reduce the number of MAiD deaths while ongoing efforts would be directed at completely ending the practice of MAiD in B.C.,” he said.

He noted that health care is constitutionally a provincial jurisdiction. “While I do not accept the premise that killing the elderly by injection in any way qualifies as health care, since it is being paid for by healthcare dollars, it would be reasonable and responsible to exercise that jurisdictional responsibility in B.C. by using Section 33 [of the Charter—the notwithstanding clause] to declare B.C. a province that does not permit the deliberate killing of its residents,” said Taylor, who is also leader of the CHP’s national party.

He said a CHP government would not allow health-care dollars to be used on euthanasia and would also increase funding for palliative care.

Libertarian Leader Joehl, of Langley, said the conflict of interest in the provincial government’s control of both health-care insurance and provision of MAiD might lead to the encouragement of euthanasia to reduce health-care costs.

In March, The B.C. Catholic filed a freedom-of-information request with the Ministry of Health to determine whether the provincial government had ever produced a report estimating or measuring the costs and savings associated with MAiD.

Joehl said a Libertarian government would also deny MAiD to mature minors. “It cannot be a cure for the moody teenager,” he said. A parliamentary committee recommended in February 2023 that “mature minors” be given the right to MAiD.

“Ethically, we are not opposed to people wanting to end their life for reasons that are important to them,” Joehl said. “However, we are living in a mental-health crisis, we just came out of a pandemic when families were pushed far beyond their limits... the standard of living is plummeting, leading to further emotional struggles, and our governments have been rationing health care because our universal system cannot supply enough care for all residents.”

“So, based on all of that, we would like to make it more difficult for British Columbians to [access] MAiD.”

Your voice matters! Join the conversation by submitting a Letter to the Editor here.