🚨 BREAKING: Bill C-218 has been defeated in the House of Commons by a vote of 147–181. The vote comes just hours after the Liberal government announced it would not move forward with expanding MAiD to those whose sole underlying condition is mental illness, while signalling a move toward advance requests for MAiD. In a notable twist, former Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux- who had jointly seconded Bill C-218 before crossing the floor to the Liberals- voted against it today. Meanwhile, Liberal MPs Kent MacDonald (Cardigan) and Marilyn Gladu (Sarnia- Lambton- Bkejwanong) broke ranks and voted in favour. Bill C-218 may have been defeated, but the fight over the future expansion of MAiD is far from over.

Bill C-218, the Right to Recover Act narrowly defeated in the House of Commons by a vote of 181-147.

We applaud Liberal MPs Kent MacDonald and Marilyn Gladu for voting in favour of Bill C-218!

Very happy to commend @SeanFraserMP and @MarjoriePLC for eliminating MAiD for mental illness. However, I would like them to see split the proposed future bill so that advance directives are studied, debated, and voted on separately. It's too important not to be, imho.

Although we applaud the Liberal government for not moving forward on MAiD for the mentally ill, there is still reason for serious concern. The government’s new MAiD legislation will address advance requests- allowing someone to request MAiD while competent, to be carried out AFTER they can no longer consent. The danger is profound: the person receiving MAiD may no longer be capable of telling us whether they still want to die. Stopping MAiD for mental illness is one battle. Advance requests will be the next.

PRESS RELEASE: Carney Liberals back down on MAiD for mental health “This did not happen by accident. RightNow volunteers helped elect Tamara Jansen, Andrew Lawton and many other pro-life MPs who refused to stay silent as Canada moved toward making assisted suicide available to people suffering solely from mental illness,” said Golob. “They fought this in committee, in the House of Commons and in the court of public opinion. This victory belongs to every Canadian who refused to accept that suicide prevention should become suicide facilitation.” itstartsrightnow.ca/carney_l… via @RightNowHQ

The Liberal government will NOT move forward with the expansion of assisted-suicide in cases where the sole underlying condition is mental illness. This is the power of an effective opposition: applying enough pressure to force a government to change course. Conservative MPs Tamara Jansen and Andrew Lawton kept this issue front and centre and forced the government to confront it. A huge win for the Conservatives and specifically these two MPs.

Liberal MP @SeanFraserMP announces the Liberal government will vote against @TamaraJansenMP's Bill C-218 today while simultaneously announcing they will not move forward with expanding assisted suicide to those with mental illness. A win for Conservatives and for Tamara!

BREAKING: the Liberal government will NOT move forward with the expansion of assisted suicide in cases where the sole underlying condition is mental illness.

VOTE on the Right to Recover Act, Bill C 218 happens today at 3:15 Eastern Standard Time. Will you be watching?! #mentalhealth #canada #euthanasia

It’s not easy to stand before your colleagues, and the entire country, and tell them that you once tried to end your own life, reliving the painful events that followed. But MP @AndrewLawton knew his story needed to be told. He shared his deeply personal experience as a warning about what can happen when we respond to people in their darkest moments by offering death instead of hope, treatment and the chance to recover. His testimony is a powerful reminder of what is at stake as Parliament considers the future of assisted suicide in Canada. Take a listen. His story matters.

In an opinion piece posted yesterday in the New York Times, doctors Gary Rodin and Madeline Li from the University of Toronto shared mounting fears among Canada's healthcare professionals over increasing cases of euthanasia approvals. They cited one case which saw a woman in her 70s struggling with losing her ability to cook for her family, something she prided herself on as the matriarch. She was APPROVED for assisted dying, and told doctors she had felt she had lost her value to her family. Through counseling, she came to understand that her family valued who she was, not what she did for them, and ultimately decided not to through with ending her life. Although these doctors aren't even against assisted-suicide, they are sounding the alarm that Canada is not doing enough to help people sustain people's sense of dignity and meaning in life. @MarkJCarney

She once believed death was her only escape. Treatment gave her something she couldn't see at the time: a future. Today, she's a mother of two, and she's grateful to be alive. Kristin Chong submitted her story directly to Parliament's Special Joint Committee on MAID:

How do we tell someone experiencing suicidal despair that their life is worth fighting for, while potentially allowing mental illness alone to qualify them for an assisted death? Bill C-218 would permanently exclude mental disorder as a sole underlying condition for MAID. MPs vote tomorrow. Contact the Liberal caucus and urge them to vote YES to Bill C-218.

Kathryn D’hondt survived a suicide attempt when she was just 16 years old. Today, she is thankful she survived, and she is speaking out about what MAID for mental illness could mean for people experiencing the same kind of despair she once believed would never end. Tomorrow, October 7, MPs will vote on Bill C-218, the Right to Recover Act, which would permanently exclude mental illness as a sole underlying condition for MAID. Tomorrow’s vote matters. Kathryn’s story is one reason this debate deserves our attention. Contact the Liberal caucus today and urge them to vote YES to Bill C-218.

Guys. These are messages I have gotten over the last few hours as I have been encouraging more people to make calls. Please read them to get a sense of what is at stake and how close to home this one can hit. Get the list of phone numbers, scripts, etc. here: 4mycanada.com/target-list-c-… C-9 was bad. This issue is deadly. This is not a time to be concerned but passive. This is a time to be active. Ask our leaders to vote FOR C-218 on Wednesday. Please make calls....and share. (Be sure and log your calls after you make them so we can track how many Canadians are speaking up on this and share those numbers with our leaders. fs30.formsite.com/secureonli… ) @TamaraJansenMP @ArnoldViersen @AndrewLawton @LeslynLewis @PierrePoilievre @MarkJCarney @RebelNewsOnline @junonewscom @elie_mcn @Merittvcanada @RightNowHQ @ARPACanada @BlakeRichardsMP

Thirty years ago, my parents taught me that standing up for the vulnerable matters, even when it’s inconvenient, difficult, or unpopular. Today, I’m teaching my four children the same lesson. I pray that one day Life Chain will no longer be necessary. That abortion will become unthinkable in our country. But until that day comes, I’ll keep showing up. Because I don’t just want to raise children who believe in what’s right. I want to raise children who have the courage to stand up for it. And maybe that’s one of the most important things we accomplished today. ❤️ #LifeChain #ProLife #ChooseLife #StandForLife #ProLifeGeneration

Christa Pike’s failed lethal injection horrified people around the world. But some of the same drugs- and similar risks of prolonged or failed deaths- exist in Canada’s MAiD system. If suffering during an execution is considered inhumane, why is it called compassion when the patient is severely depressed, disabled, or living with a non-terminal illness?

Tomorrow is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, so we wanted to highlight one indigenous political voice who worked on residential school reconciliation, advocated for First Nations women and was one of Parliament's most visible pro-life voices.