CLF urges Parliament to halt Bill C-7 and respond to UN concerns.
UN experts: “Disability should never be a ground or justification to end
someone’s life directly or indirectly.”
“If adopted, we are concerned that [Bill C-7] would result in a two-tiered system in which some would get suicide prevention and others suicide assistance, based on their disability status and specific vulnerabilities.”
February 9, 2021
LONDON, ON - Yesterday, CLF wrote to members of both houses of the Canadian Parliament, urging a sober second look at Bill C-7: An Act to amend the Code (medical assistance in dying). Of particular note, Bill C-7 proposes to expand access to euthanasia to persons with disabilities even if they are not near death.
As an NGO in special consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC), CLF has previously raised concerns that Bill C-7 is inconsistent with Canada’s international obligations. CLF’s position was further substantiated last week, when three UN human rights experts issued a letter expressing “grave concern” about the proposed legislation. Specifically, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, and the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights all expressed concern that Bill C-7 would contradict Canada’s international human rights obligations, particularly those pertaining to the dignity and equality of persons with disabilities. This letter is only the most recent of several public concerns that UN experts have expressed in relation to Canada’s assisted suicide regime since 2017.
To date, our government has not responded to these concerns publicly, nor has it indicated whether it has implemented any of the UN experts’ recommendations to improve care or protect those at risk from this regime’s harmful effects.
Bill C-7 has passed First and Second readings in the House of Commons and is currently being debated in the Senate. CLF’s letter, addressed members of both the upper and lower houses, urges members to stop the advance of this Bill until such time as government addresses the UN expert’s concerns and implements the assistance and protections recommended therein.