Two weeks ago, our guest columnist, Andrew Lawton, spoke of the fact that in March 2023, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) will be offered for the mentally ill.

We’ve also heard that our veterans, who fought for our country, are being offered euthanasia by Veterans Affairs Canada to deal with the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder they got while serving. Veterans Affairs Minister, Lawrence MacAulay, insists that files were looked at and it was only four veterans offered MAID, but it’s looking like more. Of course, rather than asking our vets about it, he is satisfied with someone looking at the notes that were recorded in the vets’ files. That’s cold!

Not many years ago, I speculated that the time was coming when, because of the cost of seniors to healthcare, etc., there would be pressure for our seniors to do the thoughtful thing and be euthanized.

A study was done and released by The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer in October 2020 entitled: COST ESTIMATE FOR BILL C-7 “MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING” (PDF). This report was requested by an unnamed Senator but the very fact that our government has factored in the cost / benefit of killing the vulnerable should be terrifying!

The report predicted a gross reduction in health care costs for the provinces of roughly $109.2 million, while the cost of administering MAID is estimated at $22.3 million. Thus, the difference, under Bill C14, is a net cost reduction for provincial governments of $86.9 million. Wow! What a bargain!

But it gets worse. This report was requested as a result of discussions on Bill C7, which passed in March 2021 and will come into effect March 2023. Under Bill C7, it is estimated that provinces will save $149,000,000 in healthcare costs. It’s shocking that government pencil-pushers would weigh the value of human life and the cost of care against the cost savings of ‘putting down’ the disabled, the mentally ill and those who can’t afford the cost of living in Canada today.

The suggestion has now been brought forward by Dr. Louis Roy, of the Quebec College of Physicians, to euthanize severely disabled children up to the age of one. Once pragmatism and moral compromise are allowed to take root, the tendency is to allow greater and greater levels of crimes against humanity.

Last week, I was watching TV and saw a commercial telling the dreamy story of a woman . . . it was beautiful. Then I caught what she was saying and realized that these lovely, romantic, fantastical images, were the imaginations of someone planning to take MAiD. Have you seen it? Dreamy voice and movement; bubbles; the ocean; music; dinner with friends; it was lovely—until you heard the script. The beautiful images were matched with an ugly script.

What have we come to in Canada? Confusion reigns and mixed messages abound. We saw the government’s resistance to providing true palliative care in the Delta Hospice Society fiasco. The governments—both federal and provincial—would rather kill you than care for you. Many Canadians have accepted the faulty premise of “death with dignity.” Many no longer appear to care about making someone’s last days as comfortable as possible; instead, they allow propaganda and protocols that ensure these are their last days.

When we paraphrase Martin Niemöller’s poem, for Canada today, it could read like this:

“First they came for the unborn, and I did not speak out—because I was no longer unborn.
Then they came for the seniors, and I did not speak out—because I was not yet a senior.
Then they came for the handicapped, and I did not speak out—because I was not handicapped.
Then they came for me—and there was no-one left to speak for me.”

If you become sick, they may tell you that:

“You’re a burden to your family and your healthcare system. It’s time to think of others.”
“You’re old and your care is becoming expensive. It’s time to think of others.”
“Your mental illness is a burden to you and (and more so to us); it’s time to think of others.”

We see this playing out around us. What can we do? Many of us stand on the sidelines and watch. We don’t involve ourselves; it doesn’t affect us; we just watch.

We quietly deplore the state of things, but we do nothing to interfere with the downward trend.

Some of us hope and pray that others will do something . . . that the responsibility to confront our sin-sick society will not fall on our shoulders. We’re content to stand on the sidelines and watch.

We all see what’s going on but only a few of us enter into the battle. A few of us speak out, but too many of us put up our feet and watch TV after work. When a society develops a widely-accepted view, a view that devalues the lives of some, it takes many people getting involved to have any chance of changing public opinion and changing public policy.

We can all be swayed by the emotional appeal of someone’s tragic story, life has so many tragedies. But, do we want a society in which, when people are no longer able to perform useful tasks, we see them as “useless eaters,” a waste of space, a drag on society?

CHP Canada has been sounding the alarm for over 30 years and yet Canadians have been lulled to sleep by pretty pictures and peaceful-sounding phrases like “death with dignity,” ignoring the subliminal, underlying message that some human beings have value and others don’t. What are we becoming? Self-deception for the “common good” is a dangerous thing.

Today, we need you active in this battle. It’s a battle that requires many hands to fight . . . a few stalwart warriors may slow the advance, but it will take many dedicated Canadians ready to put in the time and energy to win this the battle. Life is a gift from our Creator, and we must always recognize and treasure it in ourselves and each other. We must be willing to fight the battle before us.

Don’t let another day pass by. Join CHP Canada, today! Get on the battlefield and fight for the type of society that shows love and compassion to our fellow citizens. Anyone can stand back and watch; we need people willing to act. What are you doing after work?