The date when MAiD for mental illness would be allowed has been looming for years. The law allowing this expansion was passed in 2021, with a delay until it would take effect. Thankfully that take-effect date has been pushed back more than once – in 2023 and 2024. Now, it’s looming again. In less than 8 months, on March 17, 2026, the law allowing MAiD for mental illness will take effect, unless a bill is passed to delay it again – or stop it altogether. Over the summer, the J

Providence Health Care is being taken to court by a family and some euthanasia advocates who are challenging the B.C. government policy which allows faith-based facilities not to provide euthanasia. The government of B.C. recognized the distinctive ethos of faith-based care institutions and developed an agreement with a group of them that “preserves the respective religious missions and values of the founding owners and sponsors of their health care facilities in the provinc

This article comes from Read directly: https://faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2026-Mar-Apr/Browse-the-latest-issue →en français Standing in the church sanctuary, I listened to the heart-wrenching story of a man whose mother had been euthanized. Tearfully he shared how he and his siblings had clashed over their mother’s decision to have her life ended due to chronic illness. Tragically, he and another sibling wanted their mom to live while his other siblings thought she’d suffered en

A new committee of MPs and Senators is being formed to study MAiD for mental illness. This was required in the last bill that delayed MAiD for mental illness until 2027. The committee is to be set up by Feb. 28 and will report back to Parliament with recommendations by Oct. 2, 2026. The government has delayed MAiD for mental illness when past committees have recommended delays. Please pray. Bill C-218, an individual MP’s bill to stop MAiD for mental illness alone, is now expe

The EFC made a submission to the UK Palliative and End of Life Commission following its call for written evidence. The EFC outlined several of the ways Canada's euthasia laws have had a negative impact on palliative care providers, patients and facilities. The EFC urged the UK "to ensure that high quality palliative care is made widely accessible, and the integrity of palliative care and hospice facilities are protected and maintained. It is essential to establish this care a

"The Impact of Medical Assistance in Dying on People with Disabilities" is a stakeholders report submitted to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, for its 32nd session. This EFC report provides information and recommendations to the Government of Canada on the impact of Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAiD) regime on people with disabilities, its disproportionate impact on women with disabilities, and its consequences for the right to life. Downl

The Government of Alberta held a consultation on safeguards and the oversight of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in the fall of 2024. The EFC participated in stakeholder meetings and submitted a written brief. The EFC’s written response asked the province to protect patients by allowing MAiD-free spaces and by adding a specific end-of-life definition and other safeguards. The response also addressed issues such as expanding MAiD on the basis of mental illness alone, eligib

The EFC has made a submission to a UN committee reviewing Canada's commitment to eliminate discrimination against women (CEDAW). The EFC's brief outlines the negative impact of Canada’s euthanasia laws on women, particularly women with disabilities. It underscores that prostitution is a system of violence and exploitation, and points to the connection between human trafficking and prostitution. The EFC urges Canada to repeal the law allowing euthanasia for mental illness, to

A private member’s bill that would allow advance requests for euthanasia is moving through the Senate. Bill S-248 was introduced by Senator Pamela Wallin and has passed two of three votes in the Senate. The next step is for the bill to be studied by a Senate committee. The Criminal Code requires a person be able to consent to their death at the time their life is ended through MAiD. There is currently a narrow exception for people whose death is “reasonably foreseeable” for t

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta asked for feedback on its policy on conscientious objection by Jan. 15, 2024. One of the proposed changes introduces “effective referrals” into the policy. Many doctors object to ending the lives of their patients through euthanasia and would object to providing an effective referral for it. The EFC made a three-page submission, which you can download as a PDF.

The EFC submitted a three-page brief on MAID for mental illness, to the Special Joint Parliamentary Commitee. This brief (aussi disponible en français) calls the government to halt or at least to a delay of the planned March 2024 expansion to allow legal euthanasia for reasons of mental illness alone without any additional safeguards. Download the bilingual EFC brief

The EFC and the World Evangelical Alliance have again jointly submitted a brief in the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of human rights in Canada. (See the previous EFC/WEA submission from 2017.) Our 2023 UPR stakeholders report provides information to the international community on how Canada is meeting its human rights obligations and makes recommendations on how Canada can promote and protect human rights in Canada in the areas of: protection of persons with disabi

Bill C-314 would exclude a mental disorder from being considered a grievous and irremediable medical condition for the purposes of Medical Assistance in Dying. This would mean that no one would be eligible for MAID for mental illness alone MP Ed Fast introduced Bill C-314 in the House of Commons on February 10, 2023. Update: A vote on Bill C-314 was held Oct. 18, 2023. Bill C-314 was defeated 167-150, but an improvement compared to a similar vote in 2021 that was 184-148. Ple

The EFC made a submission to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) consultations in November 2022. The EFC asked the CPSO to make sure that discussions about MAID are only initiated by patients, not doctors. The EFC also asked the CPSO to protect doctor’s conscience rights and to push for MAID to be included as the cause of death on death certificates. The consultations were on the CPSO Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) and Human Rights in the Provision of

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2023 - See new EFC government submission on MAID for mental illness, below A special joint committee of MPs and senators is recommending making minors eligible for medically hastened death. Their February 2023 report also recommends allowing advance requests, thus opening medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to people no longer able to consent. The committee’s report recommends but doesn't require the government to make these changes to the law. A group of docto

Bill C-230, the Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act, was a private member's bill introduced by MP Kelly Block on Nov. 22, 2021. Bill C-230 would have made it a criminal offence to coerce someone to participate in medical assistance in dying. This bill was debated and defeated in the House of Commons in October 2022. Although it didn’t pass, it raised an important discussion of conscience issues and concerns. Resources Sample letter to use in contacting your MP about these

The EFC's submission in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) Consultation on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) policy shares our perspective and concerns about conscience protection and care of those who are vulnerable and recommends specific changes to the policy.Download the pdf of the EFC’s seven-page submission. Related resources Bill S-268: Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act Take action on conscience rights (main page)

Note: This bill has been succeeded by Bill C-230 This bill was intended to prevent medical professionals from being forced to participate in euthanasia or Medical Assistance in Dying. It would have created an offense in the Criminal Code making it illegal to compel a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, pharmacist or other health care professional to take part, directly or indirectly, in the provision of medical assistance in dying. Also, it would have become illegal to

UPDATE MARCH 2021: Parliament passed Bill C-7 into law March 18, 2021. This bill expands euthanasia to allow people who are not dying to be considered eligible for hastened death. Bill C-7 also removes some key safeguards for people who are at the end of life, such as the 10-day reflection period. This new law also means that, starting March 2023, MAID will become available for people with mental illness alone. Issue summary Bill C-7 is now law. It allows assisted death for C

In this five-page submission (download PDF) to the House of Commons standing committee on health, the EFC recommends: a continued focus on compassionate, life-affirming care that maintains the distinction between palliative care and euthanasia/medical assistance in dying. support for palliative care providers and hospices, include strong, clear conscience protection for individuals and institutions increased training for health care providers in palliative care across all set