Canadian Catholic Bishops urge the faithful to contact MPs about euthanasia legislation

Media release from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

On Nov. 12, 2026, the Permanent Council of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) sent a brief to parliamentarians urging them to split Bill C-41, the Medical Assistance in Dying Safeguards Act.

The CCCB asks Parliament to maintain the exclusion from euthanasia and assisted suicide where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition, and to remove the advance-request provisions.

“Parliament has a responsibility to examine these questions before considering a change with irreversible consequences for people who can no longer give informed consent,” the brief states.

Advance requests would allow euthanasia after a person has lost decision-making capacity, potentially years after signing a request. The brief raises questions about how others would interpret the request and the person’s present responses, whether earlier fears correspond to their later experience, and how inadequate care, isolation, or pressure might influence decisions.

Take action without delay

What Catholics Need to Know About Bill C-41 – LINK

Participate in the CCCB’s letter-writing campaign – LINK

With a vote at second reading expected shortly, the CCCB encourages Catholics and all Canadians who share these concerns to personalize and send a letter to their Member of Parliament without delay. Please send your letter now, so that your Member of Parliament hears your concerns before the vote.

The CCCB has also released a parish fact sheet, Advance Requests for Euthanasia: What Catholics Need to Know About Bill C-41 (LINK). It explains the proposed changes, the Church’s concerns, and the care and accompaniment owed to people living with illness or disability. The fact sheet includes a link to the CCCB’s letter-writing campaign, which asks Members of Parliament to separate the two measures, maintain the mental illness exclusion, and oppose the advance-request provisions.

Get involved

• Email your Member of Parliament – LINK.
• Write a letter to your Member of Parliament – LINK.
• Download the parish fact sheet – LINK.

Further reading

• CCCB parliamentary brief on Bill C-41 – LINK
• Full text of Bill C-41 – LINK
• Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit for Catholic Parishes on Palliative Care – LINK
• Samaritanus bonus: Letter on the care of persons in the critical and terminal phases of life – LINK (especially sections III and V.1-5)

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