OTTAWA - As opposition grows to her private member’s bill, Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde must be hoping there is truth in the adage “three times lucky.”

For the third time since June 2005, her attempt to amend the Canadian Criminal Code to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide is set to come before Parliament. Bill C-384, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code, (Right to Die with Dignity) is scheduled for its first hour of debate late this month or in early October.

Lalonde’s first two attempts to change Canadian euthanasia and suicide laws died when elections were called. And that may happen again this fall. But both sides are gearing up for debate on an issue that, although it may be postponed by an election call, is not going away.

The one time the issue was debated in Parliament, on Oct. 31, 2006, seven members spoke and only two opposed the bill on principle. It’s unclear how much support Lalonde has now, but opponents of assisted-suicide and euthanasia express confidence her bill will be defeated if it comes to a vote this fall.

“In the sense that it might happen, I’m quite confident the vote’s going to go the right way,” said Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge, who chairs the Parliamentary Pro-life Caucus. “On this one, there’s clear lack of support in our party.”

Bruinooge predicted many Liberals would also oppose the bill, as well as some in the New Democratic Party. Most of Lalonde’s support will come from within her own caucus, he said.

Opposition has also been growing among religious and other groups. Canada’s Catholic bishops, the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF), the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), Catholic Health Alliance Canada and other organizations have mounted campaigns over the summer to educate Canadians about the issue and urge them to lobby their MPs.

Archbishop James Weisgerber released a statement last month which urged Canadians to take the debate seriously. “Euthanasia and assisted suicide are the antithesis to what should be at the heart of human civilization — trust, respect, concern and solidarity based on reverence for all human life.”

Private member’s bills, especially those dealing with conscience issues, are free votes, though the Justice Minister and opposition justice critics may recommend a position.

“The Government has not taken a position on Bill C-384 at this time,” said a statement from Justice Minister Rob Nicholson’s press secretary Pamela Stephens. “Euthanasia and assisted suicide raise complex ethical, legal and medical issues, and many of them involve competing interests,” she said.

“We have no plans to propose any reforms to this area of the law,” she said.

NDP justice critic MP Joe Comartin said he is going to recommend his caucus vote against the bill.

Comartin, echoing the position of church and other leaders, said Canada needs to establish a cross-country network of good palliative and hospice care, including training in cutting-edge pain management techniques for front-line doctors. Otherwise, there is no real choice when someone is offered either intractable pain or assisted suicide. He pointed to the excellent palliative and hospice care in his Windsor riding and notes that when this is in place, the issue of assisted suicide is not raised.

Liberal MP John McKay said he did not expect his party to support the bill.

“This is a very deeply held and profoundly important area of respect for life,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of caution to be exercised in this area.”

Assuming the bill isn’t killed by an election call, its second hour of debate and a vote would happen in November or early December. If the bill passes second reading, it must go to committee, then back to the House, then on to the Senate, pushing its earliest possible passage well into the spring.

Polls show most Canadians are divided on euthanasia and assisted suicide, and have understandable fears about end-of-life suffering, said EPC executive director Alex Schadenberg, noting there is broad consent in favour of better end-of-life care. He said  the campaign to lobby politicians seems to be succeeding and that voters are raising concerns about how changes to euthanasia and assisted-suicide laws could impact the most vulnerable people in society, those with disabilities, the elderly and chronically ill.

McKay said he doubted Canadians would become embroiled in the type of deeply partisan, divisive debate that is raging in the United States over health-care reform.

But passage of a euthanasia bill could feed the concern that the health care system is going to kill you, he admitted.

Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic News Deborah Waters Gyapong has been a journalist and novelist for more than 20 years. She has worked in print, radio and television, including 12 years as a producer for CBC TV's news and current affairs programming. She currently covers religion and politics primarily for Catholic and Evangelical newspapers.

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