Dear Constituents, 

Tomorrow, February 15, 2024, I will likely be speaking on Bill C-62, An Act to amend An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), No. 2. This bill would further delay the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAID) eligibility to those whose only medical condition is a mental illness until March 2027. Presently, those with mental illness as the only condition will become eligible for MAID this March. 

I will be clear – I am opposed to the government’s planned expansion of MAID for mental illness. I strongly believe that we should never give up on anyone suffering from a mental illness. We must provide those Canadians with hope and treatment options, not assisted death. The expansion of MAID for mental illness should be cancelled all together and the government must stop kicking the can down the road. 

When I spoke on the government’s last bill to delay the expansion of MAID for mental illness, Bill C-39, I highlighted the tragic story of an Abbotsford mother who was given MAID despite suffering from a documented mental illness and a court ordered delay. We’ve also heard stories of Canadian Veterans who have been offered MAID instead of the supports they needed to live a comfortable life by Veterans Affairs Canada caseworkers. 

These stories are heartbreaking and I know there are many more untold stories of MAID being directly offered to Canadians or approved for those it shouldn’t have been. That’s why I want to hear from you. If you would like to have your voice raised in the House of Commons during my speech, please respond to this email directly. Please share any stories you may have regarding medical assistance in dying being offered or given to those suffering from mental illness. 

Thank you, 

Brad Vis, MP  
Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon