The federal government says it wants to know what Canadians think of the existing euthanasia situation. Let’s hope it really does, but on the surface you might wonder how committed the government really is to finding out.
For one thing, the announcement of Ottawa’s national consultation comes with a brief two-week time frame.
For another, within 24 hours of the announcement, the justice department was broadcasting that more than 37,900 people had already filled out the online survey.
Media breathlessly reported that Canadians are “deeply engaged” in the issue as evidenced by the rapid response.
Am I the only one whose Spidey sense is tingling here?
I get a lot of email from a lot of organizations, yet it took them all more than a day to reach out with appeals and calls to action about the consultation.
Somehow, before the first newspapers were printed with news of the consultation, 38,000 Canadians were sufficiently concerned and motivated about assisted suicide that they rushed online, found, and completed a 10- to 15-minute government questionnaire.
The media would have us believe Canadians are increasingly supportive of assisted suicide and want to ensure it remains as unrestricted as possible. Yet, if that many people really responded, unprodded, out of a desire to support a euthanasia movement that’s already moving in their favour, then it far surpasses the number of Canadians who expressed interest when the government was drafting the euthanasia law in 2015.
At that time, in what was called an ambitious five-month consultation, the government reached out to Canadians through an online questionnaire, invited submissions from groups and individuals, and met with experts in Canada, the U.S., the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. It consulted with interveners, medical authorities, and organizations.
After all that extensive consultation, fewer than 16,000 participated in the consultation, including 14,949 people who filled out an online questionnaire from August to November.
Yet here in 2020, for some reason, three times that number filled out the government questionnaire within 24 hours, according to the justice minister who is overseeing the process, a justice minister who a few years ago voted against a euthanasia law because he thought it too restrictive.
Meanwhile the news media are digging up brand new heartbreaking stories of people who will suffer if the existing rules were tightened.
I doubt we’re going to see any tightening, not when a steady loosening has been the pattern for the past few years since euthanasia was legalized. In the past year alone, The B.C. Catholic documented the following:
- The difficulty of getting accurate, up-to-date information on “medically assisted deaths.”
- The startling rise in euthanasia deaths in Canada, now closing in on two per cent of all deaths.
- The inaccurate data with incorrect analysis being provided by the federal government
- A Quebec court ruling that struck down key safeguards in Canada’s euthanasia law, followed by the Trudeau government’s decision to adopt the new standards rather than appeal the decision.
- A federal pledge to fund palliative care and home care, yet little money actually spent, no new money, and an extended deadline of 2027.
- Health institutions that oppose assisted suicide finding regulators and health authorities shrugging off or compelling on-site euthanasia.
- Tragic stories of people who turn to assisted suicide after being unable to find care.
As for the online consultation, you have to wonder about the integrity of a consultation that takes 1,500 words to describe the current situation, before offering clearly biased multiple choice questions and an opportunity to write about 300 words.
In short, the consultation process appears to be priming the pump for a favourable “yes” to expanding euthanasia in Canada.
A disaster has been unleashed on Canada. We were assured assisted suicide would be rare and well regulated. Those promises have been broken as courts strike down existing laws, Dying with Dignity pushes for more exceptions, euthanasia rates climb across the country, media report the “benefits” of euthanasia like increased transplant organs, facilities are strong-armed to allow assisted suicide, physically healthy patients are killed, and monitoring ranges from poor to untruthful.
I don’t know who the 38,000 Canadians are who completed the questionnaire within 24 hours, but I know there are 13 million Catholics in Canada, and more than 400,000 in this diocese. At St. Joseph’s Church in Langley, a parish survey response campaign has been organized with announcements at all Masses, copies of the survey made available, and information for parishioners who want to complete it at home.
I hope we see a good number of parishes getting on board before the Jan. 27 deadline. Below is the announcement being read out at St. Joseph’s.
I would like to draw everyone’s attention to a very important issue and an opportunity to have a say. MAiD, Medical assistance in Dying (assisted suicide), has been legal in Canada since 2016.
The government of the day introduced laws and regulations governing MAiD after very thoughtful and long debate in Parliament. The restrictions and protections put in place were less than ideal, but nevertheless they became our law.
Late last year a Quebec court decision tossed out certain elements of that law saying a person need have a “fatal or terminal condition” in order to qualify for MAiD.
In response to this Quebec court decision, the federal Liberal government has organized a consultation process of Canadians. The Justice department has opened a website survey where Canadians can offer their opinions on this development. They are also accepting paper copies of this survey, which we will have available at our table in the foyer.
This is an opportunity to have your voice heard. The Quebec decision leaves the door wide open for anyone at all to have access to MAiD. The most vulnerable are at risk here if this decision is left to stand. It does away with age restrictions, mental capacity, and even the need for a terminal diagnosis. Everyone from the mentally ill to the physically disabled is at risk with these developments.
Please join us in responding to this consultation process by filling out the survey.
The situation is urgent. The deadline is Jan. 27. We have only two weeks.
See you at the back of the church.