The Issue

My name is Sarah Lemieux, and I am a grade 12 student at Warman High School, advocating for change. I believe that Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) has become a very useful service since being legalized in Canada in 2016, but only 80%-85% of Canadians agree with me, according to a poll that was done in 2026 by Dying with Dignity. 

Right now in Canada, to be able to access MAID, you must be eligible for government-funded health services, 18 years or older, mentally competent, voluntarily request MAID with informed consent, and have a serious illness, disease, or disability that involves mental or physical suffering with no other way of treatment. It has to have a significant negative impact on your quality of life.

 I believe that this service should be opened up to more individuals. More people would be able to benefit if mental illnesses were included in this list. As of March 2026, the Department of Justice in Canada said that MAID had not been made legal for people suffering with mental illness alone, and the eligibility for this had been delayed until at least March 2027. This means that people with mental illness won't qualify for MAID unless they also suffer from a physical condition.

 I understand that people with mental illnesses aren't always in the right mindset to be making such an important decision, but I think they should be eligible to apply. The suffering from mental illness can be equal to that of physical disease. The application process for MAID is so thorough that I think they should give people the option to apply, knowing that there are many safeguards in place to ensure the best interests of the individual are being met.

How the MAID process works 

The MAID application given by the Canadian Government follows a specific process:

Assessment - Two practitioners must assess the person, and both must pass them to ensure all the eligibility criteria for MAID has been met. Their job is to review medical history and discuss the wishes of the patient.

Witness - If the individual passes the first step, they go forward, providing a written request which must be signed by an eligible witness. 

Informed Consent - Before receiving MAID, the next step is informed consent. The individual must state their consent to the procedure, allowing for the relief of their suffering.

Withdrawing Consent - If the patient has any doubts, they are given the right to withdraw their consent for MAID at any time before the procedure.

The Problem

Our laws within Canada have been adjusted over the years, but they are still far from perfect and have a lot more changing to do. Provinces within Canada have created different regulations under the laws, allowing for different access resulting in backlash.

The responsibility for making the MAID laws is shared between the federal and provincial governments. The federal government has the responsibility for making the laws regarding MAID, which are applied to the whole country. They also set the eligibility criteria, safeguards, and monitoring of the regulations through the criminal code. The provincial government is responsible for the management and delivery of this health care system, which includes access and funding for MAID. They are also allowed to make their own laws and policies as long as they work with the federal laws in place and don't have any conflict with the existing laws. 

I would argue that this last rule, allowing different provinces to make any additional laws, shouldn't be allowed. It has already created major conflicts as people just travel to other provinces to apply for and access MAID. 

Real Stories with Real Impact 

Kiano 

Kiano Vafaeian was a 26-year-old who lived in Toronto. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was just 4 years old. He also began struggling with mental health issues when he was 17 after he was involved in a car accident. His interest in Maid began in 2022 after he lost his vision in one eye. He received MAID on December 30, 2025 in British Columbia because he was denied access in Ontario in 2022. 

His mother has brought his story to the media because she believes that, because of his depression, he wasn't in his right mind to make such an important decision, even though he had been thinking about and planning for 3 years. Kiano suffered in his last 3 years of life because he was denied access to MAID in his own province. We need to advocate for those who don't have equal access. Although he was able to be at peace and eventually access MAID, his life was extended by another 3 years of suffering. 

Alex

Alex C’s story has played a very important part in advocating for MAID. She wrote her own story about her life and struggles, leading her to begin researching access to MAID. She reached out to Dying with Dignity to help write and share her story advocating for access to MAID. She specifically wanted young people to understand their options and what they can access, so they don’t have to live a life of pain and suffering as she did. 

In Alex’s story, she shares that her whole life has been filled with pain and suffering both mentally and physically. Her father abandoned them when she was just a few months old, left to be raised by a single mother with her 1.5 year old sister. She suffered from underdeveloped tendons as a child only being able to walk on her toes. She was put in casts and when that didn't work she underwent surgeries which also didn’t fully treat the problem. The summer before she entered grade 6 she began getting extremely sick, and she was diagnosed with diabetes. At the beginning it was more easily treatable, but as time went on her condition got worse.

As she entered her teenage years she suffered with body image and abused her insulin to make herself thin. As she continued to suffer with her health issues she got pregnant with her boyfriend who later abandoned them. She was stuck raising her son alone. He was born 6 weeks early and suffered his own health issues. He was diagnosed with digestive problems, hearing loss, developmental delays, and autism. After the birth of her son she continued to suffer incredibly with her health. 

Alex describes her life to be filled with continuous pain, nausea and vomiting, lack of sleep, and periods where she would drift in and out of consciousness. She began debating if this was a life worth living and she looked into MAID. At the time she wasn’t eligible because the MAID assessors believed that she was solely suffering from mental illness. She began trying to understand and qualify for MAID. Since she didn’t qualify she tried other treatments in an attempt to treat her chronic suffering, but none of those treatments improved her pain and quality of life. This is where her story publicly ends. It is unclear if she ever received MAID or is still alive but her story is incredibly important to talk about as she could have been helped if these laws were more inclusive. 

We failed Alex and because of that she lived a life of incredible pain and suffering. 

Why you should help

Our laws around MAID are meant to provide people with a choice, but right now, they are unclear and inconsistent across Canada. These unclear laws are making it unfair, leaving people without access. We should all have the same access to a system that is fair to all Canadians. 

We need to make a change.

How can you help

We need to begin making changes by bringing awareness. You can make an immediate difference by sharing and signing this petition, which will bring attention to this issue and show that there is a need for change. 

Signing the petition shows that you support change and want to help improve consistent accessibility for future generations. 

You can also start conversations with friends and family about why equal access matters to you. Talking about it and spreading the word will make a difference. People are unaware of the problems until they are informed, so let's go and inform. 

Contacting your local member of parliament expressing your concerns and demanding action on the issue can help by taking the issue to someone higher. Their voice may be more convincing for change.