Liberal government promoting a 'culture of death' with medical assistance in dying law, Conservative MP says
CBC
Conservative MP Ed Fast said Monday he will soon table a bill to repeal a Liberal law that allows the mentally ill to access medical assistance in dying (MAID).
Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, Fast said the MAID regime, first introduced by the Liberal government in 2016, should have never been extended to people suffering solely from mental illness — a vulnerable group he said should be offered help, not death.
"Those suffering from mental disorders, including depression, deserve mental health and social support and counselling. They need to find some joy and some meaning in life," Fast said.
"It is deeply concerning that this government appears to be moving from a culture of life to a culture of death."
WATCH: Poilievre supports bill to withhold MAID from those suffering solely from mental illness
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was on hand for Fast's announcement.
He said some people are suffering from mental health disorders because of the government's policies.
"After eight years of Justin Trudeau, everything feels broken and people feel broken. That's why many are suffering from depression and they're losing hope," Poilievre said.
"Our job is to turn their hurt back into hope. To treat mental illness problems rather than ending people's lives."
Poilievre said that if Fast's private member's bill fails to clear Parliament, a government led by him would introduce legislation to repeal MAID for the mentally ill.
Asked if he would invoke the notwithstanding clause to protect such a law from constitutional challenges, Poilievre said that wouldn't be necessary because courts have never said the mentally ill should have access to MAID.
After the MAID bill's initial passage, the Liberal government was forced by a Quebec court decision to expand access after judges there found the "reasonably foreseeable" death clause unconstitutional.
In response, Ottawa amended the eligibly requirements in 2021 to allow anyone with "a serious and incurable illness, disease or disability" who is in "an advanced state of irreversible decline" to access MAID.
But the court never demanded that the mentally ill be added to the list of eligible groups.
