ARCH, Inclusion International & Inclusion Canada Co-hosted an event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York! COSP15 – Canary in a Coalmine: The Expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying/Euthanasia in Canada, A Warning to the Global Disability Community

June 16, 2022

Co-hosted by: ARCH Disability Law Centre, Inclusion International, & Inclusion Canada 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada legalized a pathway to euthanasia for people who are not terminally ill, provided they have a disability or disabling medical condition. In practice, people with disabilities are dying because they live in poverty, can’t secure affordable adequate housing, and are avoiding institutionalization. In 2023, people with a mental illness / psychiatric disability will also be eligible for euthanasia. This session will discuss how Canada’s assisted dying legislation is discriminatory, outline how this is an alarming global trend, and build international solidarity. The virtual event will take the form of a panel discussion, with short presentations from each panelist followed by an interactive discussion with participants.  

Welcoming remarks by Catherine Frazee and Steven Estey.

Panelists included: 

• Gerard Quinn (International) UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities·         
• Krista Carr (Canada) – Inclusion Canada         
• Kerri Joffe (Canada) – ARCH Disability Law Centre         
• Rohini Peris (Canada) – Environmental Health Association of Québec, coalition member·        
• Gabrielle Peters (Canada) – Disability Filibuster, coalition member·         
• Alberto Vasquez (Peru) – Human rights lawyer