Dying With Dignity Canada is disappointed and surprised to see a Charter challenge to Track 2 of Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) legislation. The inclusion of those whose deaths are not reasonably foreseeable in MAID criteria was due to two Canadians with disabilities, Jean Truchon and Nicole Gladu, who saw the law under C-14 as discriminatory and argued it violated their Charter rights.  

In 2019, the Quebec Superior Court ruled that denying access to MAID to people living with disabilities was discriminatory and violated the constitutional right to security of the person under Sections 7 and 15 of the Charter. 

The changes in Bill C-7 do not demean the lives of those with disabilities or promote ableism. On the contrary, they give disabled people the same rights as others who have grievous and irremediable medical conditions to decide for themselves when their incurable suffering is too much for them to bear. 

The lack of proper social services for people across the country highlights societal failures, not an issue with our assisted dying legislation. Rather than scale back MAID legislation, we need a concerted effort to expand social services.