Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID) - Track 2: A Daughter’s Perspective with Tania Stilson

In February 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in Carter v. Canada that parts of the Criminal Code would need to change to satisfy the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The parts that prohibited medical assistance in dying would no longer be valid. The Supreme Court gave the government until June 6, 2016, to create a new law. In June 2016, the Parliament of Canada passed federal legislation, known as Bill C-14, that allows eligible Canadian adults to request medical assistance in dying.

On March 17, 2021, changes to Canada’s MAiD law came into force with Bill C-7. The new law responds to feedback from over 300,000 Canadians, experts, practitioners, stakeholders, indigenous groups and provinces and territories. These changes to the criminal code now allow MAID for eligible persons who wish to pursue a medically assisted death whether their natural death is foreseeable or not. It also introduced a new two-track approach to procedural safeguards based on whether or not a person’s natural death is reasonably foreseeable. The new law will reduce unnecessary suffering in Canada. The new law provided the speaker’s father the choice of a dignified, compassionate, and empowering death.

The speaker will be sharing a daughter’s perspective of her family’s journey through Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). She will offer a unique viewpoint as her father, John Warren, was deemed ‘Track 2’ and his natural death was not reasonably foreseeable, but all other eligibility criteria were met. She will share the story of her Dad’s long history of pain, his important involvement with the organization that helped to pass Bill C-14, the profile of who is utilizing MAID, the process from application onwards, as well as share the challenging and rewarding parts of their journey.

John Warren was a past speaker at SACPA in 2015 and 2016. He spoke regarding Medical Assistance in Dying.

Speaker: Tania Stilson

Tania Stilson is a long-time entrepreneur in southern Alberta. She is neither a lawyer nor physician, but she shares the view of her father that people can plan for a ‘good death’. She hopes that by sharing her personal story, it will provide people with information on choices that are available in Canada.