28. MAiD to Be Used: A Legal Monopoly on Death

Ah, Canada. That sweet sweet utopia we've all been told about, where everybody has free healthcare, crime doesn't exist, and everybody lives happily ever after.

Unless you aren't useful enough, apparently.

In June of 2016, Canada legalized a system called "MAiD" -- Medical Assistance in Dying -- to euthanize patients whose deaths were "reasonably foreseeable". To some, this seemed like an appealing option as opposed to dying a slow, painful and inevitable death. Perhaps if the government had simply left it at that, we wouldn't be talking about it today.

In March of 2021, the law was further amended to include those with "irremediable conditions" whose deaths were -not- a certainty. What qualifies as such a condition is somewhat unclear, as it does not require the presence of a terminal illness. Doctors are permitted to suggest euthanasia to patients, regardless of whether the patient has already said that they do not want it. The law does not require a patient to have exhausted all other treatment options before seeking euthanasia.

Additionally, the policies regarding a patient's right to withdraw consent are unclear. The law currently states that any sign of patient refusal must be respected; however, if the clinician "determines that 'expressions of resistance' are behavioral symptoms of a patient's illness, and not necessarily an objection to receiving MAiD", the euthanasia can continue anyway. Imagine that -- perhaps you made an impulsive decision during a crisis, and now you make it clear you don't actually want to die, but your doctor doesn't believe you. He decides this is merely a lapse in judgement due to your mental illness, and proceeds to end your life as planned. After all, he's got shit to do and a hundred other patients to see, as is the case when healthcare is "free" and people pile up in the waiting room for ailments such as hangnails, stubbed toes and splinters.

Shockingly, a 2023 survey showed that 61% of Canadians supported the legislation -- and 51% of them supported expanding euthanasia to make it accessible to minors. In some cases, family members are not even informed that their relative has died through MAiD, as it falls under right to medical privacy. Critics have pointed out that 23% of Canada's disabled population live in poverty, and rather than actually fix the problems these individuals face within the healthcare industry (impossibly long wait times, lack of accessible transportation/accommodations etc), they instead push this avenue for medically assisted suicide.

In 2017, a young woman with cerebral palsy went with her mother to a doctor, who told her mother (in front of her) that not applying for MAiD was "selfish". In 2018, Roger Foley could not receive sufficient treatment for cerebellar ataxia at an Ontario hospital, and hospital staff left him with an ultimatum -- be forcibly discharged to an organization that had previously failed to provide him adequate care, or apply for MAiD. Foley hired a lawyer to challenge the charter, but in 2024 his lawsuit was dismissed by the judge. In 2019, Alan Nichols successfully applied for MAiD while being hospitalized for suicidal ideation, despite the fact that he had no physical illness. The reason given on his accepted application was "hearing loss". In 2022, an anonymous Toronto woman suffering from extreme chemical sensitivity syndrome successfully applied for MAiD after failing to find affordable housing that was free from tobacco smoke and other chemicals. That same year, an active Canadian Forces member was offered MAiD when he sought treatment for PTSD.

Also in 2022, Paralympian and veteran Christine Gauthier testified that a VA Canada employee offered her MAiD as an option, while she was fighting for the installation for a wheelchair ramp at her house. The VAC claimed they found "no record" of the incident, but found 4 similar cases, all involving the same now-suspended case manager. The problem persisted throughout the year however, with Vancouver Coastal Health offering MAiD to patients seeking help for suicidal ideation. The patients described this experience as "undermining their access to suicide prevention care". 

MAiD has now officially become the leading cause of death in Canada. Studies are now being performed to calculate the "potential economic savings" of expanding MAiD to include vulnerable groups that cost the government more than they contribute in taxes. These groups include: individuals with mental health issues, the homeless, drug users, retired elderly, and indigenous communities. These studies contemplate both voluntary and non-voluntary scenarios, projecting a total "savings" of $1.273 trillion CAD by 2047. They estimate that it would require 2.6 million deaths, mostly among elderly and mentally ill populations.

So there you have it -- apparently in Canada, the value of a human life is approximately $489,615.... Roughly 2 years worth of salary for a member of Parliment.