Mr. Speaker, the next petition I would like to present to the House deals with the issue of MAID or euthanasia. The petitioners are concerned, in particular, about so-called track 2 MAID that makes people living with disabilities the only group eligible for medical assistance in dying when they are not dying.
The petitioners argue that allowing so-called MAID for those with disabilities or chronic illnesses who are not dying devalues their lives, tacitly endorsing the notion that life with a disability is optional and, by extension, dispensable. They are concerned about the ableist trajectory of our health care system, with euthanasia being proposed to those who are seeking other services. They are concerned about how people with disabilities are increasingly limiting their exposure to the health care system for fear of facing pressure from the system to consider euthanasia in cases where they do not want it and have their lives, dignity and well-being challenged and devalued by the system that is supposed to protect them.
The petitioners are, therefore, in this case, calling for the end of so-called track 2 MAID. They want the government to protect all Canadians whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable by prohibiting euthanasia for those whose prognosis for natural death is more than six months.