Conservative MP Tamara Jansen has learned during the summer recess from Ottawa that many Canadians remain unaware of the scheduled March 17, 2027, expansion of euthanasia access to individuals solely experiencing mental illness and a joint parliamentary committee’s recommendation to hit pause indefinitely.

“This is a concern because if they’re unaware, that means we’re not punching through with the message we need to give people struggling with their mental health: hope,” said Jansen in an interview with The Catholic Register.

Jansen is devoting Aug. 25-27 to outlining the current outlook, answering questions from citizens and building further support for her Right to Recover Act (Bill C-218), which would permanently halt the further broadening of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) eligibility.

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Jansen is co-moderating 90-minute public town halls with Conservative colleague Andrew Lawton in London, Hamilton and St. Catharines on the 25th, 26th and 27th, respectively, starting at 7:30 p.m. local time. They hope to achieve a breakthrough in messaging that reverberates to the wider community.

However, Jansen acknowledged that ongoing "economic challenges are really hurting Canadians and they only have so much bandwidth."

Livelihood and affordability anxieties are not waning anytime soon. On Aug. 22, the U.S. began imposing 50-per-cent tariffs on approximately $20 billion in Canadian goods following a late collapse in bilateral trade talks. Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed dollar-for-dollar retaliation starting on Sept. 8.

While drawing focus away from an escalating trade war will be a difficult task, Jansen and Lawton will underscore the need to devote similar high attention and engagement to the MAiD issue. The call to action for this town hall, said Jansen, is getting Canadians to reach out to their local MP about Bill C-218.

“It's the fastest way that we can ensure that this gets put in place,” said Jansen. “It's the cleanest bill. My wording has already gone through the wringer a number of times.”

But she expects the Liberals will instead table and advance their own legislation should it choose to follow the joint committee’s recommendation. Carney and Sean Fraser, the justice minister and attorney general, have remained mum about this matter over the past two months.

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Jansen sat on the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying when it was active from March 10 to June 17, and she was encouraged by some Liberal members’ reactions to the revelations.

“A number of the Liberals on that committee were somewhat shocked by some of the testimony and were pushing back on it,” said Jansen. “That was very positive in my mind. I do believe the tide is turning. People are recognizing that we paused this law numerous times and nothing has changed.

“We continue not to have the ability to decide whether or not something is irremediable. The challenge (also remains) of telling what the difference is between someone who is seeking MAiD and someone who's suicidal. I believe that the Liberals have seen that and are aware."

Jansen was especially struck by the April 27 testimony of Dr. Alison Crawford, the chief medical officer of the 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Hotline. Crawford disclosed that “seven per cent of interactions on the service refer to MAiD. Critically, among those who reference MAiD, 74 per cent endorsed thoughts of suicide in the past two days, compared with 48 per cent among other contacts.”

Jansen was also impressed by Alicia Duncan’s first-person testimony. The author and advocate, who came to public attention alongside her sister Christie as their truth-seeking efforts sparked a police investigation into their late mother Donna’s MAiD death on Oct. 29, 2021, publicly championed Bill C-218.

Duncan’s book The Other Side of the Straitjacket, an examination of the human costs spawned by end-of-life legislation, launched on Aug. 20. Jansen lauded Duncan as “a fantastic woman” and expressed admiration for her courage.

There were other notable champions of Bill C-218 alongside Duncan. The Archdiocese of Toronto rallied in a big way with the “Help Not Harm” campaign that debuted in March. By visiting helpnotharmcanada.ca, interested parties could submit a prepared letter urging their local MP to support the bill’s passage at second reading if and when a vote is scheduled.

Jansen praised the Catholic community’s support.

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“We are all very blessed that the Catholic Church has worked so hard to continue protecting the vulnerable in society,” said Jansen. “I know that (Toronto's) Cardinal (Frank) Leo wrote an email to the Prime Minister on this issue. I wanted to make sure that he had seen that email. I actually printed it, and at the beginning of question period, just before we started, he came in, and I crossed the floor, shook his hand and said, ‘I just want to make sure, Prime Minister, that you've seen this email.’ I know he's seen it.”

The clearest signal of where Carney and his Liberal Party will steer the Canadian MAiD regime will emerge after the House of Commons begins the fall sitting on Sept. 21.