Disability Rights Advocates Urge Senate to Reject MAID Bill
Inclusion Canada hosts a virtual news conference as the Senate of Canada resumes sitting for third-reading debate on the federal government’s changes to the medical assistance in dying (MAID) bill. Speakers express their concerns with Bill C-7 and call on the Senate to reject the legislation, arguing that it devalues the lives of people with disabilities.
The following individuals take part in the news conference: Krista Carr (executive vice-president of Inclusion Canada); Bonnie Brayton (national executive director of the DisAbled Women’s Network (DAWN) Canada); Jonathan Marchand; Kory Earle (president of People First of Canada); Mads Clement; Sarah Jama (lead organizer with the Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO); and Steven Estey (international human rights consultant).The federal government faces a court-imposed deadline of February 26, 2021, to pass amendments aimed at expanding access to assisted dying. The changes are in response to a 2019 Quebec court decision that ruled the government’s original 2016 law was unconstitutional by requiring a “reasonable forseeability” of natural death. (February 8, 2021) (no interpretation)