TAMARA Jansen, MP for Cloverdale—Langley City, held a press conference this week in support of her private member’s bill, C-218, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying).

Joining Jansen at the event were Andrew Lawton, MP for Elgin – St. Thomas – London South and seconder of the bill, Graydon Nicholas, former lieutenant governor of New Brunswick, former Provincial Court judge, and First Nations advocate; and Alicia Duncan, advocate and author of The Other Side of the Straitjacket.

Jansen introduced her private member’s bill on June 20. If enacted, the legislation would permanently terminate the Liberal Government’s planned expansion of access to medical assistance in dying to those whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness.

She said: “I am humbled by the opportunity to bring this bill forward on behalf of thousands of Canadians who suffer from mental health challenges. Under current Canadian law, these individuals could walk into a doctor’s office and ask them to end their life—and the system could legally do just that. This is an incredibly dangerous message to send to the most vulnerable in our communities. It’s time to pass this legislation so that Canadians know that mental illness is treatable and recovery is possible.”

Title: Bill C-218 – The Right to Recover Act

Purpose: To make it a criminal offence to provide Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) to a person whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness.

Why It Matters:

• Mental illness is treatable. Canadians struggling with mental health deserve support, not a state-sanctioned death.
• Experts agree that it is currently impossible to determine whether a mental illness is truly irremediable.
• The Liberal government’s own expert panel said such predictions are “difficult, if not impossible.”
• Without objective standards, decisions are based on guesswork – and that’s not good enough when lives are on the line.

Core Message: This bill restores the promise of care. It recognizes the right of Canadians to recover from mental illness and ensures we offer help, not harm.

Key Features:

• Amends the Criminal Code to prohibit MAiD in cases where the sole underlying condition is a mental illness.
• Reinforces suicide prevention as a healthcare priority.
• Aligns MAiD eligibility with clear, evidence-based criteria.

Support:

• Backed by national experts in psychiatry, law, disability rights, and suicide prevention.
• Supported by major faith and cultural organizations.

Expert Warnings Against MAiD for Mental Illness:

• Mark Sinyor: “We could be making an error 95% of the time.”
• Brian Mishara: “People who would have recovered will die.”

Legal and Ethical Concerns:

• Trudo Lemmens: “Offering death rather than treatment constitutes a most deadly form of discrimination.”
• Nuala Kenny: “Mental illness presents a very clear and present danger to free choice.” 

Survivor Testimony:

• Georgia Vrakas, PhD: “If MAiD had been available when I was at my lowest, I would have applied—and I would not be here today.”

Supportive Organizations:

• Physicians Together with Vulnerable Canadians
• Indigenous Disability Canada
• Inclusion Canada
• Association for Reformed Political Action
• Pakistani Canadian Cultural Association
• Baitul Mukarram Islamic Society

Individual Supporters:

• Ramona Coelho, MDCM, CCFP – Adjunct Research Professor, Family Medicine, Western University; Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute; Co-editor of Unravelling MAiD in Canada; Co-founder, Physicians Together with Vulnerable Canadians
• Harvey Max Chochinov, MD, PhD – Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba; Senior Scientist, CancerCare Manitoba; Author of Dignity in Care: The Human Side of Medicine
• Orlando Da Silva, LSM – Past President, Ontario Bar Association; suicide attempt survivor
• Catherine Ferrier, MD, CCFP (COE), FCFP – Assistant Professor, Family Medicine, McGill University; President, Physicians’ Alliance Against Euthanasia
• K. Sonu Gaind, MD, FRCP(C), DFAPA – Chief of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; Professor, University of Toronto; Co-editor of Unravelling MAiD in Canada
• Heidi Janz, PhD – Associate Adjunct Professor, John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre, University of Alberta
• Rod McCormick, PhD, FRSC – Kanienkehaka; BCIC Research Chair in Indigenous Health; Director, All My Relations Centre, Thompson Rivers University
• Brian Mishara, PhD – Director, CRISE; Professor, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal
• Graydon Nicholas, C.M., O.N.B., LL.D. – Former Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick; Provincial Court Judge; Wolastoqey Elder, Tobique First Nation
• Gabrielle Peters – Public researcher, writer, policy analyst; Co-founder, Disability Filibuster
• Trudo Lemmens – Professor and Scholl Chair in Health Law and Policy, University of Toronto; Co-editor of Unravelling MAiD in Canada
• Jitender Sareen, MD – Department Head, Psychiatry, University of Manitoba; Provincial Specialty Lead, Mental Health and Addictions, Shared Health
• H. Schipper, BASc(Eng), MD, FRCPC – Professor of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Toronto
• David W. Shannon, C.M., O. Ont., LLM – Barrister and Solicitor
• Tim Stainton – Director, Centre for Inclusion and Citizenship, UBC; Professor, School of Social Work
• Georgia Vrakas, PhD – Professor, Département de psychoéducation et travail social, UQTR; Psychologist

FACT SHEET

What Does Bill C-218 Do?
Bill C-218 amends the Criminal Code to make it illegal to provide Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) to individuals whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness.

Why Is This Bill Necessary?

???? Mental illness is treatable.
Thousands of Canadians recover every year with the right treatment and support.

???? Predicting “irremediability” is impossible.
Top psychiatrists—including the Liberal government’s own expert panel—agree: we can’t reliably know who will get better and who won’t.

???? Death is irreversible. Error is unacceptable.
When the stakes are life and death, guesswork is not good enough.

???? The system is failing the vulnerable.
Canadians with mental illness often lack timely access to psychiatric care, housing, and supports. Offering MAiD under these conditions is not compassion—it’s abandonment.

???? Suicide prevention and MAiD cannot coexist.
You cannot offer suicide prevention in one breath and assisted death in the next. That is an ethical contradiction.

What Do Experts Say?

“The evidence shows we are completely unable to predict when a mental illness will not get better.”
– Dr. K. Sonu Gaind, Chief of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Hospital

“Mental illness is not irremediable. The claim that it is undermines hope and the commitment to recovery.”
– Helen McGee RN MN CPMHNC, National Association of Catholic Nurses

“If MAiD had been available when I was at my lowest, I would have applied. And I would not be here today.”
– Dr. Georgia Vrakas, suicide survivor, psychologist

Who Supports Bill C-218?

✔ Over a dozen top psychiatrists, ethicists, and legal experts
✔ Suicide survivors and disability rights advocates
✔ Faith and cultural organizations across Canada
✔ Front-line physicians who work with the most vulnerable

Bottom Line:

Canadians with mental illness deserve treatment, recovery, and dignity—not a fast-track to state-facilitated death.