Paul Tuns:
Toronto Cardinal Frank Leo wrote an open letter dated April 20 to Prime Minister Mark Carney and federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser, encouraging the government to block the expansion of euthanasia to people suffering solely from mental illness.
Noting that both he and Carney are Catholics, the Cardinal wrote “our Catholic faith opposes the taking of any human life” and that euthanasia is “contrary to the dignity of the human person.” Thus, Cardinal Leo stated, it is a cause of consternation that the number of Canadians killed by euthanasia has grown at a “rapid and alarming rate” since Medical Assistance in Dying was passed in 2016, “despite the commitments made and the safeguards promised.”
Cardinal Leo said that “vulnerable individuals … may feel pressure … during moments of profound suffering, isolation, or despair, to seek assisted death.”
Noting that “a society is rightly judged by how it cares for its most vulnerable members,” Cardinal Leo said there is “growing anxiety that the normalization and expansion of assisted suicide risks undermining a culture of compassion, weakening investments in palliative support, and diminishing the collective commitment to accompany those suffering.”
Bill C-218, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Medical Assistance in Dying), would, if passed, permanently ban euthanasia for patients suffering solely from mental illness. It is currently before the House of Commons and Cardinal Leo urged the Prime Minister to “allow a free vote among Members of Parliament within the Liberal Party of Canada” because C-218 “raises profound questions of conscience” that transcend partisanship.
Cardinal Leo wrote, “I ask you to choose life and not death; to help build a civilization that cares for those suffering and does not eliminate them, but instead surrounds them with dignity, compassion, and love.”
He also urged the government to “consider measures that restrict any further expansion of assisted suicide.” The pro-euthanasia Dying with Dignity is lobbying government to allow euthanasia for so-called mature minors (adolescents) and by advanced directive (so people can agree to be euthanized sometime in the future when they lose the capacity to consent).
Cardinal Leo urged the government, instead, to “prioritize” palliative care, mental health support, and greater resources for the marginalized including seniors and people with disabilities.
Mark Carney, asked by journalists about whether he planned to support proceeding with the March 17, 2027 expansion of MAiD to individuals whose sole condition is a mental illness, the Prime Minister was coy, telling journalists, “I like to take informed positions.” He said he would await the recommendation of the Special Joint Parliamentary Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying’s final report, which is expected before the summer recess.
The Globe and Mail reported that the committee is expected to recommend once again pausing the expansion of euthanasia to those suffering solely from mental illness.
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