Support Bill C-260

AI summary

Petitioners ask Parliament to pass Bill C-260 to stop officials offering MAID to people not requesting it. The government responds that MAID must be voluntary, remedies exist for coercion, and it will study the bill.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas: Many reports, including media stories and evidence received by Parliamentary committees, indicate a serious problem of veterans, people with disabilities, seniors, and those living in poverty being offered MAID/euthanasia by bureaucrats when they are trying to access unrelated public services. These repeated unprompted offers can cause serious distress, be coercive in nature, and make it more difficult for people to access public services that they are entitled to; CEO of Inclusion Canada Krista Carr has testified before the Finance Committee that she hears weekly complaints from people with disabilities who have had facilitated death proposed to them when they are trying to access other public services; Christine Gauthier, a veteran living with a disability, spent five years trying to get funding for a wheelchair lift from Veterans Affairs Canada. A case worker at the department offered her facilitated death instead. This is one of many instances of case workers at Veterans Affairs proposing MAID to Canadian heroes who are looking for completely unrelated supports; and Bill C-260, the Care Not Coercion Act, or The Preventing Coercion of Persons Not Seeking Medical Assistance in Dying Act, would prevent instances of coercion in which a bureaucrat offers medically facilitated death to those who are not asking for it. Therefore, we, the undersigned, call on the Government of Canada to: Support Bill C-260, the Care Not Coercion Act. Support additional action to combat the growing problem of MAID coercion.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Signed by THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY PATRICIA LATTANZIO Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is a complex and deeply personal matter. The legal framework for MAID balances different interests and societal values. It would be abhorrent for anyone to be coerced into receiving MAID. Individuals should not feel pressured to consider MAID and these conversations require sensitivity, judgment, and respect for individual circumstances and preferences. Canada’s federal MAID framework in the Criminal Code specifically requires that a request for MAID must be made voluntarily by the individual, and that their identity and request must be confirmed (signed/dated) by an independent witness. Depending on the circumstances, existing criminal offences such as counseling a person to die by suicide or uttering threats could be used to charge individuals who coerce others into obtaining MAID, where appropriate. There are also non-criminal avenues to address inappropriate conduct that does not reach a criminal threshold, such as complaints to health authorities, governmental departments and professional regulatory bodies, as well as through institutional policies, guidance and training. Discussions about MAID can be very sensitive. Some individuals may not want MAID to be raised unless they explicitly ask about it. At the same time, MAID is a legal healthcare service. Other individuals want to be fully informed of all available healthcare options, including MAID, as part of their right to make autonomous decisions. The diversity of perspectives underscores the importance of approaching these conversations with care. An important consideration when examining Bill C-260, Preventing Coercion of Persons Not Seeking Medical Assistance in Dying Act, is that limiting the ability of certain government workers (excluding doctors, registered nurses and nurse practitioners) to raise MAID, could result in information essential to ensuring informed consent not being shared. In addition, legislating federally who may or may not raise the question of MAID has the potential to infringe on the jurisdiction of provinces, and interfere with how they administer their healthcare systems. The Government continues to consider ways to ensure that our MAID laws reflect our evolving understanding of Canadians’ needs, support autonomy and freedom of choice, and protect those who may be vulnerable. The work of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD) is especially important in this respect. Bill C-260 will follow the legislative process and will be studied and debated in accordance with rules governing Private Members’ Bills.