Premier who oversaw Canada's first assisted dying law says he worries it's gone too far
Former Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard expressed concerns over the expansion of Canada's medical assistance in dying (MAID) laws. He noted that the original 2014 legislation was intended only for terminal conditions, which has since evolved significantly.
Why it matters
The evolution of MAID legislation remains a highly contentious ethical and legal debate in Canadian politics.
Quebec's National Assembly passed the law in 2014 outlining conditions under which terminally ill patients could formally request medical assistance in dying (MAID).
While the bill was initially introduced by the Parti Québécois, it gained multiparty support while Philippe Couillard's Liberals were in government.
The former premier told CBC's The House that he sometimes questions his 2014 decision after seeing how MAID has expanded in Quebec and Canada since that first law was passed.
"It was clearly reserved for terminal or pre-terminal conditions with a defined, unfortunate road to the end of life. And this is not the case anymore," he told host Catherine Cullen.
"I'm not sure that I would have again voted for that law with the extension that we have seen in the recent years."
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