When the State Sanctions Death Instead of Treating Suffering: Canada’s Assisted Suicide Crisis

If Canada aspires to be a nation that values human life in both principle and practice, it must avoid conflating despair with destiny and death with care.

People rally against legalizing euthanasia on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 1, 2016. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

Commentary

Societies occasionally reach a threshold so significant that it demands direct attention, regardless of legal or bureaucratic framing. Canada’s current approach to assisted suicide, especially in cases involving mental illness, represents such a threshold. Recent federal data indicate that more than 16,000 assisted suicide cases are approved annually in Canada, with an increasing proportion involving individuals with mental health challenges. This trend highlights the urgent need for policy reassessment and underscores the critical importance of addressing this issue.