OTTAWA, ON — Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for Employment, released the following statement on the tabling of Bill C-260, An Act to Prevent Coercion of Persons Not Seeking Medical Assistance In Dying:
“Today I was pleased to table Bill C-260, which addresses a clear gap in Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) laws.
“Canadians would expect that difficult conversations about death happen between a willing patient and their healthcare provider, not between a bureaucrat and an unwilling citizen.
“Yet we keep hearing horror stories about government bureaucrats pushing people to consider MAID while they are accessing unrelated government services. This is having an especially negative impact on veterans, people with disabilities, the elderly and those in poverty.
“Bill C-260 addresses this issue by prohibiting a government bureaucrat in a position of authority from proposing MAID to a citizen who is not asking for it. If passed, this law will provide robust protection for people with disabilities, veterans and those who are seeking the services they’re entitled to.
“It would not apply to instances in which people are themselves asking for information about MAID, and has a clear exception for doctors and nurses.
“I urge all MPs to support this common-sense legislation that safeguards the right of Canadians in potentially vulnerable situations to access government services without unwanted promotion of MAID.”