Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity this evening to speak to Bill C-39.
At the outset, I believe it is important, first of all, that my constituents know that this bill is not a complicated one. It does not propose anything new to Canada’s euthanasia laws, nor does it propose to appeal laws that are currently in place. This is a simple bill that delays the expansion of medical assistance in dying to those living with mental illness by 12 months, one year. On those grounds, Conservatives support its swift passage, but only as a temporary solution.
However, this bill is what happens when a government moves too fast, too aggressively, and fails to take into account the pleas of experts and everyday Canadians living with mental illness and family members living with them. These Canadians include our family members, our friends, our neighbours and our co-workers. They live with mental illness that, to them, should not be a death sentence. They see the provision of MAID for their illness as yet another step along the road to devaluing life in this country. They know it is not going to accomplish anything to end stigma around mental illness, and they know that it puts vulnerable Canadians from all walks of life with illness seen and unseen at risk.
That is why this bill is little comfort to me and to Canadians at large. The extension of assisted death to mental illness must not just be delayed; it must be scrapped completely.
Assisted death has been a highly emotional issue since this place first considered its legalization in 2016. It was the first bill that I debated in this House. Debate has been passionate due to our personal experiences, personal beliefs and convictions on what constitutes dignity in end-of-life decisions. However, today’s debate takes on an even greater heaviness in that respect.
Statistics indicate that one in two Canadians by age 40 has or has had a mental illness. The chances are even greater for young people, and among those who have answered surveys on the topic, respondents report that they would be three times less likely to disclose a mental illness than a physical one, like cancer. The numbers are grim but paint a realistic picture of mental health as it relates to all Canadians. It is universal. No one is immune to life’s difficulties, whether in the short or the long term. That is precisely why stakeholders are asking the government to show true compassion by reconsidering an expansion of MAID to those with wounds that are largely unseen.
The Canadian Mental Health Association points to socio-demographic factors beyond age, education and income levels as driving forces behind a request for MAID. Racism, poverty, homelessness and gender-based violence have harmful effects on mental health and symptoms of mental illness. Over these past couple of years, we can tell too that isolation, persecution for one's beliefs and hopelessness impact our mental health.
The Ontario Hospital Association is clear that these complex issues must be addressed through appropriate legal safeguards, coupled with societal supports, before assisted death expansion is considered. On the other hand, I believe that we must consider the realities of mental health in Canada among certain groups close to my heart and why expansion must never be entertained.
This summer, Canadians were shocked to learn that a Canadian Armed Forces veteran struggling with PTSD and a brain injury was repeatedly advised of MAID as a solution to his suffering by a Veterans Affairs Canada employee. The veteran had never inquired about MAID, but even after asking the VAC employee to stop pressuring him over and over again, the employee persisted. We know that veterans face a greater risk of suicide compared to the average population. It is truly frightening to know that instead of facilitating the most appropriate care available, this public servant chose to repeatedly suggest MAID as a solution to suffering. This frightens me to know, and I wonder how often this kind of advice has led to tragic consequences.
Debbie Lowther of VETS Canada said that it is like planting a seed within someone who is already struggling with their mental health or may even be contemplating suicide. No matter how isolated the Veterans Affairs issue may be purported to be, and I do not believe it is, it is clearly a result of the government’s attempts to muddy the waters on suicide. It did a lot to draw Canadians’ attention to the normalization of assisted death in this country and just how rapidly it is becoming a “fix-all” solution, not just for end-of-life issues but for treatable illnesses among vulnerable people. When accessing an assisted death takes less time than accessing disability benefits for our veterans, we are completely failing them. Sadly, veterans are not alone in this respect.
Some Ontarians, for example, face multi-year wait times for special mental health care. That is years of living with mental health issues when they could be receiving treatment. Why are they not? We need to ask ourselves that question. Disability advocates have been crystal clear with this government for years that Canadians do not have access to all the supports that they need and deserve and are even available.
In a piece in the Hill Times this past week, Spencer van Vloten of BC Disability is correct when he states that, “too much time is spent considering who should die, rather than how to help people live.” He goes on to note all-time highs in wait times, nearly 30 weeks, for those seeking mental health treatment.
To paraphrase one disability rights advocate, those living with treatable illnesses likely would not put MAID anywhere near the top of their list if they had unimpeded access to support and treatment.
Indigenous Canadians also face an increased risk of preventable harm as MAID becomes more accessible. Tyler White, CEO of Siksika Health Services noted that, “Indigenous elders work hard to tell young people that suicide should not be an option, and the medical assistance in dying (MAID) bill [Bill C-7 in this case] says the opposite.”
Many indigenous Canadians can speak to negative experiences with the health care system, including procedures that were done against their will. It is my belief that an assisted death regime, with ever-expanding boundaries and ever-diminishing safeguards, will not help to heal mistrust. It will only worsen it for our indigenous people, our veterans and those with disabilities.
It comes down to this simple fact: The same majority of Canadians who desire empowerment in their end-of-life decisions want Parliament to carefully weigh the risks of MAID for those living with mental health issues, such as depression. Sixty-nine percent fear that depressed individuals could see MAID as a means to escape dealing with the underlying causes of their condition. The experts say they can, over time, deal with those conditions.
The slippery slope does exist, and Canada is spinning out of control. We have to apply the brakes here. We are not only listening to those who will personally be affected by these laws, but we also need to take lessons. I know this government says, “We take no lesson”. Well, do not take them from us then, take them from jurisdictions with a long-standing MAID regime for mental illness.
In Belgium and the Netherlands, MAID laws once limited to mentally competent, terminally ill adults now include adults and children with mental deficiencies, severely disabled individuals, and those with treatable psychiatric conditions such as anorexia and depression. Between 2012 and 2017, the Netherlands alone saw a 600% increase in euthanasia which was sought to address psychiatric conditions; conditions that the experts say cannot be determined to be irremediable.
So, this government has made a choice. This minister has claimed that this is only a pause. It cannot claim as a government that it stands as a champion for mental health treatment while simultaneously cheapening the value of that treatment and, indeed, human life itself.
The minister claims that MAID expansion can be done safely, but experts have been clear that expanding eligibility of medical assistance in dying to Canadians living with mental illness cannot be done safely. It is impossible to determine irremediability in individual cases of mental illness. This expansion will only blur the lines further between suicide assistance and suicide prevention.
Canadians cannot trust this Liberal and NDP government to protect the lives of our most vulnerable, including those who are simply asking for a hand in the seasons of need. Every action they have used for MAID since 2015 has achieved the opposite.
So, let us not further stigmatize those with mental illness by placing euthanasia ahead of other solutions. We need to reject a culture of death on demand and instead let us make Canada a champion for suicide prevention at all stages of life.
