News & Analysis

Bill C-14, to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada, passed its 3rd Reading in the House of Commons on May 31st. The voting among Members of Parliament was 186 in favour of the deadly Bill, and 137 against. View the complete voting record here. The Bill then went to Senate for further debate. Sadly, a majority of Senators voted to loosen the bill even further by removing the "near death" restriction, so that people who aren't even dying, can be killed by a doctor, a nurse, or even by an appointed, regular layperson. 

Euphemistically called “Medical Assistance in Dying”, Bill C-14 would establish an assisted killing regime in Canada. Despite assertions to the contrary, there are no meaningful safeguards in Bill C-14 that would protect vulnerable Canadians from falling prey to this right-to-kill legislation. Even the "near death" restriction removed by the Senate was largely meaningless because the wording didn't actually limit euthanasia to those who are dying. It stated that in order to be eligible, the person's death "must be reasonably foreseeable", without including any time limits whatsoever, nor spelling out how close to death one must be. Since every human being's death is "reasonably foreseeable", even if decades away, the restriction removed by the Senate had no teeth anyway.

On June 1st, the day after the Commons vote, more than a thousand pro-life Canadians rallied on Parliament Hill to voice their opposition to legalizing this form of homicide. The Rally, called “Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Are Not the Answer”, was sponsored by the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, the Living with Dignity Network, and the Physicians Alliance Against Euthanasia.

It featured numerous speakers who made clear-headed, deeply principled, and faith-filled declarations for defending the lives of Canadians against this suicidal Bill. (Watch the 10-minute video synopsis here.)

Among the speakers at the Rally was Dr. Catherine Ferrier of Physicians for Social Justice, who clarified an important misconception about the Bill:

“We’ve been told that Canada has no other choice but to legalize euthanasia – that either we pass this Bill, or the Carter decision (striking down Canada’s Criminal Code protection against assisted suicide) will kick in. That is not true. The government could have re-criminalized euthanasia and assisted suicide by re-stating the purpose of the Criminal Code, (but) they chose not to do that.”

Also at the Rally, pro-life MP Bev Shipley (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, ON) declared that “the highest court in this country, with the stroke of a pen, turned a criminal activity into a healthcare system . . . where doctors are paid to euthanize people,” and pro-life MP Brad Trost (Saskatoon-University, SK) stated with stark sobriety that “Last night, I voted on a piece of legislation to kill my fellow Canadians – something I never thought I would be voting on here.”

To drive home the deadly outcome of what Bill C-14 would unleash upon unsuspecting Canadians, some 250 of the Rally’s attendees placed themselves and their children in make-shift body-bags and lay in silence on the lawn of Parliament Hill. The eerie sight should be seen as a realistic and inevitable outcome if Bill C-14 passes into law.

Bill C-14 is still being debated in the Senate, but is expected to be sent back to the House of Commons on Tuesday June 14 or Wednesday June 15 with amendments.  If Members Of Parliament vote in favour of the amended bill, it will become law. If a majority vote against the amendments, it will ping-pong back to the Senate for yet another debate and vote.

Pro-life Canadians can still voice their opposition to a government-managed apparatus for causing the death of its citizens. Please continue to lobby your Senators. You can also quickly send your Member of Parliament a prewritten, automated email using our automated Action Alert Email tool by clicking here.

Ask them first of all to vote against Bill C-14.  Secondly, urge them to invoke the “Notwithstanding Clause” of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in order to ignore the Supreme Court's reckless decision to strike down Criminal Code protection against the killing of Canadians by euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Please also sign our petition to the House of Commons here.