CMHA Waterloo-Wellington reacts to federal government delaying MAID expansion

The Trudeau Liberals have introduced legislation in the House of Commons to enact a three-year pause for the expansion of eligibility for Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID) to those who’s sole underlying condition is a mental illness.

In the midst of that announcment, the CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo-Wellington joined the Mike Farwell Show on CityNews 570 to react.

“Honestly, we welcome the decision to pause [the expansion],” said Helen Fishburn on 570 Thursday morning.

Fishburn said there’s been two years of consultation ahead of this planned expansion, but it’s not enough for the complexity of this issue. She said the federal government needs to hear more from service providers, psychiatrists, people with lived experience and everyone in between.

CMHA prides itself on saving people’s lives and Fishburn told 570 that MAID poses an ethical challenge for them.

“Unlike other physical conditions, we don’t have some of the black and white conditions that go along with making this kind of decision.”

Fishburn also says access to care needs to expand and be provided to those early in the process of mental health treatment and that as of Thursday, 3425 people are waiting for ongoing care in Guelph-Wellington and Waterloo Region.

“We have to have that access to care as part of this decision-making process because we can’t make decisions about MAID until we’ve given people a fair shot at valuable and life-saving treatment, and unfortunately, that’s not a reality in our world.”

She added that national and provincial CMHA representatives will continue to consult with the federal government about policy and implementation while they take this pause.