March for Life starting from the legislative grounds.
Click the button below for more information about the March for Life.
For more information, go to albertamarchforlife.com
For more information, go to m4lvictoria.ca
If you are unable to join the March for Life in Victoria, please join us at Christ Covenant Church on May 8 for a Pro-life Flag Display and Prayer Breakfast.
We would love to see you there.
The registration page is in the works… Stay tuned!
There are a limited number of spots so be sure to apply early!
Join us for one of the presentations listed below. You’ll leave equipped for action, and encouraged to use your freedom to speak the truth on topics of public justice.
MANITOBA
ONTARIO
BRITISH COLUMBIA
ALBERTA
from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” – Ps. 34: 13-14
Status: No longer active.
Description: Proposes to delay the expansion of eligibility for euthanasia to those with mental illnesses until 2027. Bill C-7, the last substantial piece of euthanasia legislation, had a sunset clause that would allow those with mental illnesses to be eligible for euthanasia in 2023. While the government delayed the implementation of this clause until 2024 in Bill C-39 and then rejected Bill C-314’s proposal to scrap that clause entirely, this bill would delay that expansion until March 17, 2024. That’s after the next scheduled election
Analysis: It is incomprehensible that our society provides suicide prevention to one class of citizens and assisted suicide to another class of citizens. The extension of assisted suicide to those with mental illness effectively means that assisted suicide is a perfectly legitimate solution to suicidal ideation. Instead of offering assisted suicide to those with mental illnesses, we need to provide better mental health care and support to those who are suffering.
Action Items: Visit CareNotKill.ca for more information on all of these action items:
- Advertise on city buses or billboards
- Send an EasyMail
- Distribute Care not Kill pamphlets around your neighbourhood
- Write a letter to the editor
- Sign a petition
A challenging new SideQuest for ARPA profiles!
Developments regarding Providence Health in BC.
A very early call out for the Toronto March for Life.
Childhood is a time for exploration, play, and growth.
We need to let kids be – let them grow and develop naturally. Medical transitions for minors should be completely off the table.
Join us at the 2023 Fall Tour where we’ll introduce you to a new campaign aimed at bringing attention to this important topic.
Events will start at 7:30 pm.
Registration is not required this year, but you can sign up if you’d like event notifications! (Registrations will be available soon).
OTTAWA & MARITIMES
ALBERTA
ONTARIO
MANITOBA
BRITISH COLUMBIA
boo
May 17, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Ottawa, ON] – Today, Bill C-314, the Mental Health Protection Act, will be debated for the first time in the House of Commons. This important private member’s bill addresses the concerns of Canadians from across the political spectrum who do not want euthanasia to become a tool to “treat” mental illness.
“Mental health supports should never include assisted suicide,” said ARPA Canada spokesperson Mike Schouten. “By introducing the Mental Health Protection Act MP Ed Fast has presented Parliament with an opportunity to address this pressing issue head-on and ensure Canadians struggling with mental illness are offered suicide prevention, not suicide assistance,” said Schouten.
ARPA Canada has been advocating against the expansion of euthanasia through the Care Not Kill campaign, a public awareness effort with the goal of educating Canadians regarding the importance of suicide prevention, especially in connection with mental illness. The Care Not Kill campaign has rallied support and raised awareness about the importance of safeguarding the vulnerable and preserving human dignity.
“Bill C-314 aims to establish a future where mental health care is rooted in compassion and respects the sanctity of life. It is our duty to advocate for the well-being and rights of those who need it the most,” said Schouten.
ARPA Canada is looking forward to a robust debate on Bill C-314 and views it as instrumental in setting the stage for discussions surrounding the expansion of euthanasia.
“Bill C-314 provides a glimmer of hope, an opportunity to create a future where mental health supports remain free from assisted suicide,” concluded Schouten.
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The Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada has a long history of involvement with euthanasia laws and policy in Canada. ARPA was granted intervenor standing at the Supreme Court of Canada in the Carter case in 2016. They have also provided a variety of policy reports, research, and analysis on the topic. In 2020, ARPA launched the Care Not Kill campaign, a national grassroots initiative that educates Canadians on the harms of euthanasia and equips people to engage respectfully on this sensitive topic.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Mike Schouten is available for further comment or interviews, please contact Mike Schouten at [email protected] or 778-321-2457.
Note to editors: images and further information about the Care Not Kill campaign and Bill C-314 are available upon request.
When we talk about euthanasia and politics, we often focus on any new or proposed legislation to expand or reduce access to it. But there are other areas we keep an eye on which also affect Canada’s euthanasia regime, particularly regulatory change. These are changes made not by elected legislators but by government bureaucrats or cabinet ministers. And these regulatory changes impact the way euthanasia is provided on a practical, day-to-day basis. While these adjustments may technically fit within the law, regulations can have an outsized impact on the current system.
Background
While the law around euthanasia is under federal jurisdiction, the provinces are the ones who carry it out in practice. For example, the Criminal Code lists the requirements a person must meet to be eligible for euthanasia. But medical professionals are given guidance on what those requirements look like from their provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons, which regulates the conduct of medical professionals within the province. Each province has published guidelines to help medical professionals deal with questions around euthanasia.
Over the past couple of years, some have argued that the concerns with Canada’s euthanasia regime will be alleviated by having clear, standardized guidelines for medical professionals to guide their response to a request for euthanasia. An Expert Panel Report published in 2022 recommended that “federal, provincial and territorial governments should facilitate the collaboration of physician and nurse regulatory bodies in the development of Standards of Practice for physicians and nurse practitioners for the assessment of MAiD requests in situations that raise questions about incurability, irreversibility, capacity, suicidality, and the impact of structural vulnerabilities.”
Based on this recommendation, the federal government tasked six people to create standards that provincial regulators can adopt. If enough provinces adopt these standards, there will be a consistent approach to providing euthanasia in Canada. The recommendations are explained in a new document titled “Model Practice Standard for Medical Assistance in Dying.” We want to point out a few particularly concerning recommendations where standardization would make a bad approach commonplace in Canada.
Conscientious Objection
The group recommends that medical professionals who have a conscientious objection to providing euthanasia “must complete an effective [referral/transfer of care] for any person seeking to make a request, requesting, or eligible to receive MAID.” Currently, only Ontario and Nova Scotia explicitly require an effective referral, which means that a doctor must connect their patient to a doctor who will provide euthanasia. Other provinces currently have systems in place that more appropriately protect freedom of conscience for medical professionals. Expanding effective referral policies across the country will have detrimental effects on the healthcare system and on doctors’ consciences. You can read more about effective referral and ARPA Canada’s campaign to protect freedom of conscience in Ontario here.
Suggesting Euthanasia
A second concerning element of these guidelines is a recommendation that, if a medical professional believes a person may be eligible for euthanasia and has reason to believe that “MAID is consistent with the person’s values and goals of care,” they must advise the patient of the option of MAID even if it is not requested. Counselling a person to commit suicide is (and ought to be!) a crime in all circumstances and should extend to suggesting euthanasia as an option. Instead, the authors of the guideline document clarify that “Advising persons of potential eligibility for MAID is distinct from counselling persons to consider MAID.”
Whether or not euthanasia is consistent with a person’s values, no doctor (or anyone else for that matter) should ever suggest it to a patient. We have seen various stories in the media over the past couple of years where this did happen, such as when an employee of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs suggested euthanasia to four veterans. Proactive suggestions for MAiD devalue a person’s life and make them question whether it is worth living or if they are too much of a burden to their family or the healthcare system. At the same time, the guidelines recommend that medical professionals must not tell others (including the patient’s family and friends) about the request for or provision of euthanasia unless the patient gives consent to do so or if the doctor needs to clarify the patient’s values and goals of care. If implemented, these recommendations will contribute to dividing families and deteriorating existing safeguards.
Mental Illness
Finally, the document does not recommend any additional regulations to protect those with mental illness. It simply states that the existing regulations will apply to those with mental illness when MAiD for mental illness becomes legal in 2024.
The guidelines do not adequately address the question of whether patients who request euthanasia are suicidal. The authors recommend ensuring that the euthanasia request is “rationally considered during a period of stability, and not during a period of crisis.” They also note that a medical professional must consider making a referral for suicide prevention supports if the patient is deemed ineligible for euthanasia and if the ineligibility increases the risk of suicide. But this is absurd. The request for euthanasia is a suicidal one. The guidelines are trying to strike a balance between suicide prevention and suicide assistance, but instead remind us that it is impossible to have both. It seems inevitable that a patient who is denied access to euthanasia will be at increased risk of suicide because they have already requested death. As one psychiatry professor states, “On the face of it, even if you look at what the word means, when somebody wants to die and they’re not dying, of course that means that they’re suicidal.” Euthanasia should never be an option for these patients in a country that claims to care about suicide prevention for the mentally ill.
What can you do?
These recommendations from Health Canada are not binding on individual provinces, but they do create some pressure for provinces to adopt a consistent approach with other Canadian jurisdictions. But what can you do when regulatory changes are introduced, since it is not elected law makers who are making these particular changes?
First, In the area of freedom of conscience, if you live in Ontario we ask you to participate in our campaign to protect conscience and improve healthcare in Ontario. If you live in another province, encourage your MLA or MNA to protect the freedom of conscience for doctors. Many of the talking points used in our Ontario campaign can also help you explain why you value freedom of conscience for your doctor.
Second, in relation to euthanasia and mental illness, continue to be involved in the Care Not Kill campaign. This is an important area where we can continue to push to protect vulnerable Canadians. While some politicians will talk about the need for safeguards, it is increasingly evident that safeguards will not protect the vulnerable. We need a full stop to expansion.
On May 11 (Victoria, Ottawa, Edmonton) and May 12 (Toronto), we’ll be standing alongside other pro-lifers at the annual Marches for Life. We would love for you to join us!
A huge part of the march is the signage we carry. There are few opportunities to talk to those who see the march, but the signs let everyone know why we march. We’ve had a few requests for recommended slogans for homemade signs, so we thought we’d compile them here for anyone to use! Remember to write bigger than you think you need to with dark colours and strong lines for your words to show up well from a distance.
These marches focus on the value of life from conception to natural death, making a statement against both abortion and euthanasia. In connection with that, these wording suggestions support both our We Need a Law and Care Not Kill campaigns.
Sign Slogan Ideas – Abortion
- Human rights for all, no matter how small
- Human rights begin in the womb
- Canada: the only democracy with NO abortion law
- Abortion is not a right. LIFE is.
- Protect pre-born children
- We need a law!
Sign Slogan Ideas – Euthanasia
- Euthanasia is not a solution for mental illness
- Ability, age, and location do not determine worth. We are ALL valuable.
- Suicide prevention, NOT suicide assistance.
- NO to euthanasia for mental illness.
- Stop the expansion of euthanasia
- CARE don’t kill
If you aren’t able to attend a March for Life this year, consider making a sign anyway to hang in your window the week of May 7-13 in connection with Life Week. We did this during Covid when marches were cancelled, and it was a fantastic way to start conversations right in our own neighbourhoods. Sidewalk chalk and window paint also work great for at-home versions!
If you have effective slogans you think should be added to the list, we’d love to hear from you! We also love to see your signs in action. If you make a sign for this year’s march, snap a picture and tag us on social media, or email it to us at [email protected] for sharing. Action inspires action!
JOIN ARPA CANADA AT A
Life Week event near you!
Click the button below for more information about the March for Life.
Click the button below for more information about the March for Life.
Click the button below for more information about the Flag Display.
Click the button below for more information about the March for Life.
March for Life starting from the legislative grounds.
Click the button below for more information about the March for Life.
Click the button below for more information about the March for Life.
Click the button below for more information about the prayer service and flag display.
We would love to see you there.
The registration page is in the works… Stay tuned!
There are a limited number of spots so be sure to apply early!
The team shares the dates and times for the various Marches for Life happening across Canada this May!