Canada’s Euthanasia Crisis: From Treatable Patients to Children
A System That Prioritizes Death Over Care for the Disabled, Mentally Ill and Minors
Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program — legalized less than a decade ago — has spiraled into one of the most aggressive and permissive euthanasia regimes in the world. What began as a “rare and exceptional” option for the terminally ill has rapidly transformed into a system that increasingly targets the vulnerable: the disabled, the poor, the mentally ill — and now, shockingly, children.
Recent investigations — two by Slay News and one by The Daily Wire — reveal the devastating reality behind Canada’s euthanasia program and show how far it has veered from its original promise.
Doctors across Canada are sounding the alarm. Federal protocols now push clinicians to present euthanasia as a treatment option, even for patients with treatable conditions. Dr. David D’Souza of Toronto warns that when physicians raise euthanasia first, patients — already overwhelmed and frightened — are far more likely to accept it. Dr. Will Johnston of Vancouver says doctors are being coerced, careers threatened, and hospitals pressured to host euthanasia procedures. Dr. Catherine Ferrier of Montreal recounts a chilling case where a patient with brain cancer was offered only euthanasia or sedation, with no psychological, social, or rehabilitative care offered. Vulnerable patients — including those with chronic pain, temporary disabilities, or treatable illnesses — are being funneled toward death while being denied access to real medical care. Disabled Canadians report being encouraged to die due to poverty or lack of support, and wait times for healthcare services can exceed 27 weeks, while MAiD approval often takes only days.
The next target, advocates say, is children. Groups like Dying With Dignity Canada are lobbying to extend MAiD to minors. Proposals include eligibility for children as young as 12, parental consent for those 15 and under, and the possibility of euthanizing 16- and 17-year-olds without parental consent if deemed “mature minors.” In 2023, a federal committee set a dangerous precedent by declaring that eligibility for MAiD should not be denied on the basis of age alone, opening the door for further expansion.
Experts warn that this is exactly the slippery slope opponents feared. Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, a psychiatrist and ethicist, says once a society accepts the premise that some lives are not worth living, it becomes almost impossible to set limits. Suffering can always be invoked, autonomy can always be interpreted broadly, and vulnerability can be exploited. What once seemed like a fringe idea — euthanasia for minors — is now part of mainstream debate in Canada.
The crisis does not end with children. MAiD is scheduled to expand in 2027 to include individuals whose only condition is mental illness. Doctors and researchers report that this is already happening, with patients euthanized solely for autism, ADHD, depression, anxiety, trauma, or gender dysphoria — none of which are terminal conditions. Combine this with the push for “mature minors,” and Canada could soon legally euthanize depressed or anxious teenagers who are struggling with treatable or temporary conditions.
The human cost is staggering. More than 15,000 Canadians were euthanized in 2023 — one in every 20 deaths in the country. MAiD is now Canada’s sixth-leading cause of death. Health Canada reported 13,241 euthanasia deaths in 2022, a 31% increase from 2021. Meanwhile, real healthcare services remain difficult to access, leaving patients with little choice but to accept MAiD. The system favours death over care.
When a nation begins planning the euthanasia of 12-year-olds, the moral foundation has already collapsed. Canada has normalized death over care, redefined suicide as medicine, pressured doctors to abandon patients, targeted disabled and impoverished citizens, and now set its sights on minors. This is not compassion. This is not healthcare. This is state-sanctioned abandonment.
CHD Canada calls on all Canadians to act. Reject any expansion of MAiD to minors. Demand real access to mental health, disability, palliative, and medical care. Hold policymakers accountable for disappearing safeguards. Amplify whistleblower voices from the medical community and families harmed by this system. Stand with vulnerable Canadians — the poor, disabled, mentally ill and lonely — whose lives are being devalued.
Sources:
Frank Bergman, Canada Pushes to Begin Euthanizing Children, Slay News, Nov 15, 2025
Frank Bergman, Canadian Government Forcing Doctors to Euthanize Treatable Patients, Slay News, Nov 18, 2025
Amanda Prestigiacomo, Movement Barrels Forward To Euthanize 12 Year Old Children In Canada, Daily Wire, Nov 2, 2025
Canadian Armed Forces veteran Kelsi Sheren discusses the alarming trend of euthanasia legislation in Canada, particularly concerning minors. She highlights the push by organizations like Dying with Dignity to lower the age limit for medical assistance in dying, arguing that children are not mature enough to make such irreversible decisions. Sheren emphasizes the failures of the healthcare system to provide adequate mental health support, leading to a disturbing normalization of euthanasia as a solution. She calls for action to advocate for change and protect vulnerable populations.
Kelsie recently testified before a House of Commons committee, telling MPs that she has received at least 20 written statements from vets who were offered access to MAiD. She and other veterans blasted Veterans Affairs Canada for failing to provide adequate care for those who served the country. You can watch here.
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