With Canada on the precipice of surpassing 100,000 euthanasia deaths in the coming weeks, the federal government has revived the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) on March 10.  

A provision of Bill C-62, the legislation that delayed assisted suicide access for individuals solely living with a mental illness until March 17, 2027, called for a reformation of the joint committee two years after the bill received royal assent on Feb. 29, 2024.

Ten MPs and five senators will constitute this body. There are five Liberals, four Conservatives and one Bloc Québécois representing the House of Commons. Three of the Senate members were appointed by former prime minister Justin Trudeau, the other two were selected by his predecessor, Stephen Harper.

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A notable individual selected for the committee is Conservative MP Tamara Jansen, who tabled Bill C-218, an active bill that calls for the exclusion of mental disorders as a sole underlying condition for MAiD approval. The first hour of second reading debate for this legislation occurred on Dec. 5, and the second hour is tentatively scheduled for April 13.

Jansen informed supporters via email about her participation in the special committee and thanked supporters for their commitment to this pressing issue.

“Your advocacy and willingness to speak up have helped keep attention on the serious risks of expanding MAiD to cases where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition,” wrote Jansen.

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Alex Schadenberg, the executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), informed The Catholic Register via email that his group “welcomes the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying, but we are very concerned with the composition of the committee.”

He specifically alluded to the voting record and speeches of three of the five senators — Rosemary Moodie, Kristopher David Wells and Pierre J. Dalphond — as being “strongly in favour of MAiD for mental illness alone.

Schadenberg stated his organization will “be urging all of our supporters to contact the members of the Special Joint Committee and urge them to reject MAiD for mental illness alone.” His hope is “that the debate will lead to a stronger response by Canadians urging their Members of Parliament to support Bill C-218 and reject MAiD for mental illness.”

The Register previously reported in December that both Liberal and Bloc MPs signalled their intent during the first hour of Bill C-218 debate to likely vote down the legislation. They intend to wait for the joint committee’s conclusions.

Deacon Larry Worthen, the executive director of the Christian Medical and Dental Association of Canada, said his group will “sincerely hope and pray that the new committee will heed the advice of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and restrict the practice of providing MAiD to persons with disabilities, chronic conditions and mental health concerns.”

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Worthen accentuated the urgency of this matter. He alluded that if the expansion of MAiD for individuals solely with mental health concerns occurs on March 17, 2027, “there will only be a three-month waiting period for people with mental health concerns to get MAiD,” while “the average waiting time to see a psychiatrist is six months.”

The election of joint chairs for the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying was scheduled for the evening of March 10, past the Register’s press deadline.