Your 25 Minutes Can Save Countless Lives.

I have a short, blunt ask: Can you commit just 25 minutes of your time, to save lives from assisted suicide?

What’s happening?

Currently in Canada, assisted suicide—euphemistically called “Medical Assistance in Dying” (MAiD)—is claiming more and more victims. Legal, lethal injections killed 16,499 Canadians in 2024 alone. Euthanasia is already legal for adults with “grievous and irremediable medical conditions”, whether that condition be an illness or a disability. Our euthanasia regime is fuelled by ableist, ageist, and classist discrimination. Currently, though, the law excludes a person from eligibility for MAiD if their sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.

But if nothing changes, on March 17, 2027, MAiD will become legal solely on the basis of mental illness. People suffering from depression, eating disorders, PTSD, and other psychiatric illnesses, will be eligible for suicide assistance, when they desperately need suicide prevention.

Take Action: Support Bill C-218

MP Tamara Jansen has introduced Bill C-218, the Right to Recover Act. This bill would amend the Criminal Code of Canada and permanently stop the scheduled 2027 expansion of euthanasia to those suffering solely from mental illness. Bill C-218 would protect countless people from suicide. But this Bill needs broad, bipartisan support in order to pass its next vote on March 4th, 2026. It’s crucial we make our voices heard before then!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Take 5 minutes to email your Member of Parliament about Bill C-218. The website CareNotKill.ca makes this super easy: just click on “contact your MP“.
2. Request a 20-minute meeting with your MP to discuss why you support the Bill, and why you hope your MP will vote in favour of it.
   • Here’s a sample letter for requesting a meeting.
   • Dear MP [Last Name], 
   • Thank you for your continued work as my Member of Parliament. 
   • I wanted to reach out to you regarding Bill C-218. If passed, the bill would repeal the pending expansion of euthanasia to people with mental illness as their sole underlying condition. 
   • I’m wondering if we can schedule a 20-minute meeting to discuss this issue further. I would appreciate the opportunity to briefly explain why I think you should support Bill C-218. And I would love to hear your perspective on this bill. I would appreciate if we can meet in the constituency sometime between January 12 and 23, 2026. Please let me know what time works best for you. 
   • Sincerely, 
   • [name] 
   • [postal code] 
   • [phone number, if desired]   
3. Share simple, powerful talking points about why this Bill is crucial for protecting vulnerable Canadians from suicide. For practical help on how to have an effective meeting with your MP, reach out to the organizers of CareNotKill.ca via email: info@arpacanada.ca

Here are some suggested talking points:

• MAiD-for-mental-illness harms suicide prevention efforts.
  • Groups like the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention are calling on the government to halt MAiD for mental illness, to help promote a culture of suicide prevention and mental health supports, rather than suicide assistance. “As mental health advocates, CASP wants to ensure those suffering from mental illness are treated by medical means and not through assisted dying.” (Source) 
• MAiD-for-mental-illness is opposed by the disability community.
  • The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has formally asked the Canadian federal government to stop the expansion of assisted death for mental illness, and expressed deep concern about MAiD’s impact on the disability community: “The UN committee also asked the federal government to end the proposed expansion of MAID for patients with mental disorders, but no physical illness, and to ban any federal support for any requests in advance.” (Source)
• Our healthcare system needs investment in mental health support—not MAiD.
  • Consider that in Ontario, nearly 2.5 million people–nearly 16% of Ontarians–do not even have access to a family doctor. Given that countless Canadians aren’t getting access to primary health care, how can we expect people with mental illnesses to access the specialized care they need?
  • The Fraser Institute reported the alarming fact that “Canadians in need of psychiatric care face a typical wait of nearly 25 weeks after GP referral”. Clearly, our country needs more funding and resources towards treatment for mental illness. If a suffering person doesn’t have a psychiatrist, or even a family doctor, and can’t access treatment for her psychiatric condition, then the offered “choice” of MAiD is no choice at all.
• Share your story.
  • How have mental illness and suicide impacted you? Why is suicide prevention important for you, and for your loved ones? If you feel emotionally safe to do so, consider sharing your personal stories about mental health.
  • WATCH: MP Andrew Lawton shares his journey as a suicide-attempt survivor:

What’s at stake?

We have the opportunity to prevent the further expansion of assisted suicide. But the window of time is limited. Your voice can make a difference. Elected officials are far more likely to take an issue seriously when their constituents speak up about it, but particularly when we present our concerns in-person. Please take 5 minutes to email your MP, and request a 20-minute meeting in the new year.

The lives of those with mental illness—the lives of our loved ones—hang in the balance.