Stories

I am so thankful to be alive – support Bill C-218

By Kathryn D’hondt

It’s been 4,620 days since my suicide attempt. Leading up to it, I’d been diagnosed with a cornucopia of mental illnesses (including, at different times, schizo-affective disorder, bipolar disorder type II, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and others). I felt, at the time, that even if my situation could get better in the future, I was too exhausted to continue to live until it did improve. I had been so highly medicated and sleep deprived that I was convinced, beyond all arguments, that I needed to die to end my suffering. My support team, recognizing my severe issues, understood this perspective and knew how common it was. They did not dissuade me from doing so, although, at the time, they never outright encouraged it. However, I had been told by hospital staff that in order to get better care, I would need to come back in an ambulance. It was only a few weeks later that I did exactly that. I cannot imagine what I might have been told in a world where Canada permits euthanasia on the basis of mental health.

At the time of my suicide attempt, I was unable to attend school (I was 16 years old). I was unable to regularly sleep through the night due to night terrors and a psychotic detachment from reality. While awake, I experienced almost hourly panic attacks, which wreaked havoc on my already underweight and exhausted body. I could not have dreamed of ever being capable of working, of living a life without extreme support measures, or considering myself to be a generally happy person.

But.

9 weeks ago, I got married, and my husband and I are expecting our first child. I was able to finish high school, I got my college diploma and have maintained ongoing full-time employment for 4 years. I received the support I truly needed, and no longer require medication to live a fulfilling, beautiful life. I cannot remember the last time I had a panic attack. I look forward to the years ahead of me now, and enjoy the days as they come, even when I might feel tired or discouraged. I am so proud of the 16 year old girl I was, who endured so much hardship to overcome the seemingly endless, and utterly hopeless pit of mental illness I was trapped in. I am so grateful for a medical system that could not suggest that my suicidal desires might have actually been good, true or helpful. I am so thankful to be alive. I do not doubt that had euthanasia been a lawful option, I would have sought it wholeheartedly, and I am moved to grief when I consider that the difference between life and death, for me, could have so easily had a different outcome.

Canadians deserve better mental health care than death. Canadians deserve the dignity of our suffering and burden being shared and earnestly helped. Canadians deserve more than euthanasia.

My story: No to MAiD for Mental Illness.

By Peter Oliver

My Condition

I’m a 61-year-old man and I have experienced depression for more than forty years. It is chronic, meaning that it is a long-term condition and there is no reason to believe it will ever be relieved. It is also constant, meaning that there is never an occasion when I do not feel some level of depression. It is sometimes debilitating, meaning that profound feelings of tiredness, hopelessness, pessimism, despair and self-critical thinking become so overwhelming that, on some occasions, I must withdraw to a darkened room for several hours and sit quietly until these harmful feelings lighten up.

Interventions

Over the last 40 plus years, I have had the support of 4 psychologists and 1 psychiatrist who have provided quite literally 100s of hours of professional support. Medications, exercise, meditation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, supportive community, proper diet, reading, hobbies, journaling and prayer are all part of the regime of interventions that play a role in addressing my condition. Despite the disciplined and sustained attention to these interventions my depression remains constant, chronic and sometimes debilitating.

My Life

My wife and I have been happily married for 30 years, and we have three adult children. All of our children have completed university educations, and they are beginning to establish stable living situations. Two of them experience significant levels of mental distress.

My professional formation includes studies in psychiatric nursing, a philosophy degree, and a Masters degree in pastoral theology. I have worked in a variety of labor positions (farm, factory, construction) have acted as a care aid to a man dying from MS, have been a camp councillor for children who have disabilities, been a teacher’s assistant in support of severely disabled children, acted as a pastoral assistant in a Roman Catholic parish, provided chaplaincy services in both provincial and federal corrections, and currently, I am the Executive Director of the Catholic Health Association of Saskatchewan.

Approximately 8 years ago I was diagnosed with colon cancer. This was successfully treated by a partial colectomy. My wife wittily says, he used to have a colon now he has a semicolon (ha, ha).

While still in the hospital and in a particularly vulnerable state, arising from being twenty-five days without food, I was informed that my employment was terminated. Recovery from the surgery and finding a new avenue for employment took a full year.

I include this because it seems important to recognize that mental health challenges are further complicated by other life events.

Family of Origin

My father, a farmer, who worked hard and did his best to love his family, was deeply, chronically and constantly depressed as well. He did not have any of the assistance that I have been privileged to receive. It was a mood disorder which found expression in ruminative behaviour (in hours of swearing throughout the night), rejection of bathing, angry outbursts, and paralyzed communication. These were some of the primary ingredients of my childhood.

He died at 73 (unlike his other 5 siblings who live into their 80s and 90s) and I would submit that depression was a significant contributor to his earlier death.

My mother, born during the second world war, and a person of remarkable grit, struggled mightily with the challenges of my father’s mental health but successfully navigated them, raising six children who have become contributing members of our country in farming, healthcare, the service industry, and pastoral care.

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)

The Government of Canada website on assisted suicide, euphemistically referred to as Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) states:
“Important: On February 29, 2024, legislation to extend the temporary exclusion of eligibility to receive MAID in circumstances where a person’s sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness received royal assent and immediately came into effect. The eligibility date for persons suffering solely from a mental illness is now March 17, 2027.”
As of March 17, 2027, I will qualify to be assessed for assisted suicide. The primary issue would be, do I find the depression I experience intolerable? It is fair to say, I could make an excellent case for a positive assessment.

So, allow me be blunt about the implication of these changes.

A positive assessment would mean, the Government of Canada believes that a legitimate response to my condition is to have a medical professional inject a poisonous substance into my arm causing my death.

I Am Offended

With many other people from the mental health and disability community, I AM OFFENDED!

The Government of Canada, which is charged with the responsibility of fostering the fullness of life for its citizens, is prepared to activate legislation that says, “We agree with you. You would be better off dead!”

After years of disciplined and constructive action in relation to my condition, am I now to live in a country that invests millions of dollars employing the services of medical professionals who will end the lives of people “whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness”? Am I now to live in a country that clearly states in word and action, “some depressed people are better off dead”?

Expectations

What I expect from the government of Canada is a resounding message and actions that say, “We stand on guard for you.” We strive to build a nation of courageous people who can meet affliction, ordeal, and privation with fortitude. Where no individual is thought of as “better off dead”.

As the saying goes, you can’t serve two masters. One you will honour and one you will despise. You cannot build a great nation that simultaneously expects its medical professionals to provide healing, hope, and encouragement while also supporting legislation that provides a mandate for doctors and nurses to kill depressed patients. The result is inevitable, our citizen’s respect for people with mental health concerns will erode and our nation will begin to glorify assisted suicide.

As a person whose family has struggled with mental health, whose children strive to meet mental health concerns, and who daily meets the challenges of a mental health condition, this is not what we need and not what we want!

*Sharing a story about your struggle with mental illness is difficult but it is necessary for supporting Bill C-218 that will prevent MAiD for Mental Illness alone.

Alicia Duncan told the story of how her mother died by MAiD in 2021. Malin Jordon reporting for the Cloverdale-Langley Reporter wrote:

Alicia Duncan said her mother Donna was suffering from mental health issues in Abbotsford in 2021.

She had been in a car accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

She called the laws surrounding MAID “poorly legislated” and said her mother struggled for 20 months to get help that would have made difference in her life.

Duncan found out two days ahead of time that her mother was scheduled to go in for medical-assisted suicide.

“My sister and I—knowing that she had no terminal diagnosis, no diagnosis other than depression—(knew) something was very wrong,” Duncan said. “We believed that we could stop this because surely the law would protect someone like my mom in a mental health crisis.”

Alicia Duncan said that:

“I am terrified of what will happen in March 2027 if we allow this to expand for people that do have a mental health condition.”

I would like to speak on the behalf of the vulnerable. It breaks my heart that Medical Assistance in Dying is being considered to be expanded to include those with depression and mentally ill. I was extremely grieved that Bill C-314 did not pass as I have friends and family members who struggle with depression, anxiety, PTSD, BLPD, and bipolar.

First and foremost people suffering with depression and mental illness are not in their right frame of mind. How can they make a good decision? I know this for a fact as I am writing from experience. I suffered with mental ill health myself but for me to die by suicide was never an option. I am doing extremely well today. There is hope. My sister try to died by suicide and my father attempted to die by suicide several times. I am so thankful that they pulled through. My sister received help and is doing extremely well but I am concerned for my father, I believe if they offered it to the mentally ill that he would take it as he doesn’t want to live. He told me if he was diagnosed with cancer he would take MAID. I also have a young friend from church. She is only 26 years old she has tried to die by suicide several times. She is not getting the help she needs. If it was available would go in that avenue of euthanasia.

We were told that MAID was supposed to be only for the terminally ill. I knew that would not last. Our government’s sick agenda to extent it for people with mental illness. If this goes through who will be next? I heard that the government has even signalled its openness to allowing children to access assisted suicide, presumably without their parents consent.

MAID is not caring or loving. It is a horrible solution to provide to our most vulnerable. Will Canadians live in a culture of death or will Canadians have access that support life? One cannot prevent suicide while at the same time facilitate it. Mental illness is often highly treatable. Patients should be provided with treatment they need to manage their symptoms and lead fulfilling lives.

I have a hard time trusting our government and that is why I am writing to you today, I would like my voice to be heard. I hope that the government will reconsider and support Bill C-218 to prevent euthanasia for mentally ill.

I wonder, if I would have a sister or father today if MAID was available for the mentally ill back in 2019 or 2020?

Someday, all of us will have to give an account. Did we help the most vulnerable or did we destroy them.

NMA

I found out about MAiD for mental illness alone (MIA) in February 2024. I had just started a new full-time job and went grocery shopping in the same area. I read a Magazine and where the cover article was about MAiD for MIA. I couldn’t believe that MAiD was intended to be legalized for MIA in a few weeks, though it had been pushed back three years. My reaction was visceral. I immediately knew that if MAiD had been part of the system when I was diagnosed with bipolar 1 with psychotic features in 2011, I likely wouldn’t be here today.

I’ve been to the psych ward six times. Twice in 2011, and three more times over 14 months in 2015–2016. The last one nearly broke me: a psychiatrist tried to put me on high doses of medications that gave me akathisia and worse suicidality. I experienced this as almost being killed by the system itself. I was so traumatized that I learned to get through flare-ups without hospital intervention, where I had no rights or control over how I was treated. Thanks to my own strategies and supports, I’ve only been back once in the years since (2019).

In retrospect, I am grateful for the awful experience, because it forced me to learn how to survive a crisis without the hospital. If what I learned didn’t save my life up to now, it sure will in the age of MAiD. And now that MAiD is looming, I see even more clearly: if it had been available as part of clinical treatment, I would not be here. Either from choosing MAiD directly, or from avoiding mental health services altogether out of fear. Every time I was in the hospital, no matter how bad it was or how bad I felt, at least I knew they were keeping me alive and encouraging me to stay alive when I wanted to die. That baseline mattered. If even a pamphlet about MAiD had been in the waiting room, I know I would not have gone back a second time.

The introduction of MAiD for MIA flips the foundation of mental health care upside down. When I was first diagnosed, I learned that no one can predict who, how, and when someone will recover. Yet under MAiD, a doctor can decide there is nothing more to be done and offer death instead. That is the system admitting failure. And when the system fails, it does not mean the person has failed. It means that alternatives must be offered. But instead of exploring them, the system labels us treatment resistant, blaming us instead of the system.

Why aren’t those alternatives invested in? I recently read a 2025 paper showing how, when Positive Psychology was founded in 2000, research discoveries about Flow States were never applied to people with serious mental illnesses, even though they were just as relevant and life-giving. Post-crisis growth is immeasurable and untapped, yet the resources that could cultivate it are withheld. We haven’t been given equitable access to our life-giving human potential — but now we are being given equitable access to death. This is backwards.

The legalization of MAiD for MIA will undermine the already flawed mental health system and the efforts of many caring people working in it. I can’t imagine how they will feel, forced to offer death instead of support. I certainly won’t go near the system again, nor work in it. I will have to adjust my life just to make certain I don’t get overwhelmed.

I am sad, disheartened, and still in disbelief that Canada is moving in this direction. The system is no longer subtle about its failures. Yet rather than admit it and reallocate resources toward alternatives and needs, it gives up on us. But life is bigger than what the system can lead us to.

Don’t give up on yourself. You matter. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

Andrea