By Jon Perez, Catholic Saskatoon News
A provincial-wide “MAiD for You?” speaking tour saw some 900 attend in-person information meetings around Saskatchewan in May, including some 300 who attended the Saskatoon opening event May 11, 2026, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Many others have also viewed the online presentation recorded May 16 in Regina.
Canada is set to again expand eligibility for medically provided death: unless something changes before March 2027, it will be possible for someone with mental illness to receive euthanasia, known as “Medical Assistance in Dying” or “MAiD.”
Concerns about the ever-expanding eligibility for medically-provided death and pressures placed on vulnerable persons to opt for MAiD were at the centre of the public presentations led by Deacon Larry Worthen, Executive Director of the Christian Medical and Dental Association of Canada (CMDA). The Saskatoon event also included St. Paul Hospital palliative care physician, Dr. James MacMillan.
Worthen, a lawyer and permanent deacon from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth, said that the country is moving away from improving care for vulnerable patients and toward normalizing medically-assisted death.
The speaking tour featured Larry Worthen, Executive Director of the Christian Medical and Dental Associaton of Canada, who is also a lawyer and an ordained Roman Catholic Deacon. (Photo by Jon Perez, Canadian Catholic News)
Worthen criticized Parliament’s decision to expand euthanasia eligibility, including the plans to allow access for individuals suffering solely from mental illness.
He said that many Canadians misunderstand why people seek a MAiD death, believing it is driven by unbearable physical pain, pointing out that research shows that many other reasons are cited, including the loss of ability to engage in meaningful activities, isolation, fearing loss of dignity and/or becoming a burden on family members or caregivers.
However, Worthen stressed that many such concerns, including pain, can be addressed through access to palliative care and stronger social supports.
“A good consultation with a palliative care doctor may help to talk through the progression of illness and explain how pain can be dealt with at each step. Are people being given the support they need to deal with their illness and recognize that their life — albeit short — is still worth living?”
Screenshot from the presentation during the May 16 online live-stream broadcast of Larry Worthen’s presentation in Regina. (Screen capture from YouTube)
Worthen said Canada risks creating a healthcare culture where death becomes viewed as a treatment option rather than a last resort. He warned that expanding euthanasia laws is reducing incentives for governments and health systems to improve disability supports, housing needs, and palliative care access.
“The strongest thing is sometimes the following statement: if death is a therapeutic solution, what is the incentive to do anything else? When they legalized it, they told us it would be exceedingly rare and a last resort. But now what is happening is that MAiD is no longer seen as a last resort — it’s seen as a viable treatment option,” he said.
Worthen also expressed concern about access to palliative care across Canada, with only a minority of Canadians having access to quality end-of-life services.
Offering death instead of support
Worthen argued that many people facing disabilities, chronic illness or mental health struggles are not receiving adequate care before considering assisted death, pointing to cases involving Canadians with disabilities or chronic illnesses who sought medically-provided death simply because they were facing poverty, housing instability or limited access to medical supports.
Worthen said disability organizations across Canada have raised alarms about the expansion of medically-provided death eligibility, arguing vulnerable people can be pressured toward assisted death because of inadequate social supports.
The presentation also focused on the proposed expansion of MAiD for people suffering solely from mental illness. Worthen questioned whether the country’s healthcare system has sufficient psychiatric resources in place to assess such cases responsibly.
Medically-provided death can be accessed within three months, but the wait time to see a psychiatrist in Canada is approximately six months, noted Worthen.
MacMillan also participated in the event and was referenced throughout the presentation as one of several physicians involved in educational efforts surrounding end-of-life care and palliative care.
He said that he supports strengthening conscience protections for healthcare workers who object to participating in medically-provided death. CMDA and others are calling for legislation to protect the rights of medical professionals to refuse to participate in assisted death.
Palliative care physician Dr. James MacMillan also spoke at the Saskatoon event. (Photo by Jon Perez, Catholic Saskatoon News)
The speaking tour that began at Holy Spirit Parish in Saskatoon continued from May 11-16, with stops in Prince Albert, Yorkton, Weyburn, Moose Jaw, and Regina.
The event was sponsored by the CMDA, the Archdiocese of Regina, Saskatchewan Pro-Life Associaton, Campaign Life Coalition Saskatchewan, and the Knights of Columbus.
Video of Regina event:
Other Resources:
CCCB – “Horizons of Hope – A Palliative Care Toolkit” – LINK
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Reporter Jon Perez is a parishioner at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon.
Communications and Catholic Saskatoon News are supported by gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal: dscf.ca/baa.