March has gifted Canadian culture of life advocates with hope in the form of the Archdiocese of Toronto’s Help Not Harm campaign and the Alberta government’s sweeping euthanasia reform bill.

Neil MacCarthy, the Archdiocese of Toronto's director of public relations and communications, appreciates how Canadian dioceses are amplifying this endeavour to build support for Bill C-218, The Right to Recover Act, by prominently displaying Help Not Harm on their respective websites.  

The campaign pushes the passing of Bill C-218, which would make it illegal to provide medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to someone whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness.

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“We welcome the visible solidarity shown by dioceses across Canada in support of the Help Not Harm campaign,” wrote MacCarthy. “This shared witness reflects a common concern for the dignity of every person, especially those who are most vulnerable. We pray that this moment encourages careful reflection by Members of Parliament from all parties and that leaders will permit a free vote on this critical issue. We continue to ask Catholics across the country to visit HelpNotHarmCanada.ca to send a message to their local Member of Parliament in the days ahead.”

Alex Schadenberg, the executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), lauded the archdiocese’s efforts as “excellent because Bill C-218 will be coming to a vote fairly soon. There are many members of the government in the Toronto region. It is essential that they are doing this.“

Cardinal Frank Leo has committed to writing letters to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Sean Fraser and all Toronto MPs well in advance of the expected second reading vote for Bill C-218 shortly after the Easter recess.

Nicole Scheidl, the executive director of Canadian Physicians for Life (CPL), said this awareness push for Bill C-218 is critical as the scheduled March 17, 2027 expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to individuals solely living with a mental illness slowly draws near.

“Most psychiatrists across the country are very much against this because someone who has a mental illness and has suicidality in their mental illness, how do you tease apart what's part of the illness and what is a rational decision? It's impossible. Whether it’s through the private members' bill or the government takes it on, I think it's very important that that expansion be stopped,” said Scheidl.

Alberta’s Bill 18, the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act, introduced in the legislative chamber on March 18, includes a provision to prohibit assisted suicide for individuals with a mental illness as their sole underlying condition. Upon enactment, minors (under age 18) and individuals without the capacity to make their own health-care decisions would be barred from seeking the killing procedure, too. Advance requests would also be off the table.

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Significantly, the Alberta bill also seeks to ban provincial implementation of Track 2 MAiD — offering euthanasia to individuals whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable. Track 2 MAiD has been the federal law of the land since Bill C-7 received royal assent on March 17, 2021.

Bill 18 also introduces a requirement for a family member to witness the delivery of MAiD.

And, in a notable development for faith-driven practitioners and health-care facilities, both individual medical professionals and establishments as a whole would have the right not to offer euthanasia.

“This legislation strengthens safeguards and restores clear limits on eligibility to protect vulnerable Albertans facing mental illness or living with disabilities,” said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. “Those struggling with severe mental health challenges need treatment, compassion and support, not a path to end their life at what may be their lowest moment.”

Scheidl followed the positive news from afar as her CPL colleague, Amanda Achtman, bore witness on behalf of the group in the legislature.

“I think it's really great,” said Scheidl of Bill 18. “It’s such good news that the politicians are really looking at this seriously and making efforts to put in stronger safeguards and, in some cases, roll back or restrict euthanasia in certain circumstances. I think it's a great first step and helps get into the conversation about ‘what are we really trying to do here? What does it mean when we're offering our citizens death instead of hope and care?’ ”

Schadenberg, who forecasts that Canada will hit 100,000 total MAiD deaths next month, shared that Alberta euthanasia deaths rose 11 per cent to 1,242 in 2025. He said Bill 18 is the Alberta government recognizing that this trendline is unacceptable.

“This is actually a way for them to say, ‘hey, you know what, I think we're going too far. We've gone way too far.’

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“This is a really good step, and I'm really thankful that they have the political wherewithal to do it. And I'm really hoping other provinces say, well, ‘if Alberta is going to do this, then we will also do the same.’ ” 

Read the entire Bill 18 at alberta.ca.