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Health

Top Canadian psychiatrists urge gov’t to halt expansion of euthanasia to the mentally ill

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From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Dr. Sonu Gaind, chief of psychiatry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said history shows that when enacting new laws relating to sensitive life matters, ‘The evidence shows that we are right less than half the time.’

Top Canadian psychiatrists warned that the country is “not ready” for the coming expansion of euthanasia to those who are mentally ill, saying expanding the procedure is not something “society should be doing” as it could lead to deaths under a “false pretense.”

As noted in a recent National Post opinion piece, seven of 17 chairs of psychiatry have written to Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland and Justice Minister Arif Virani to demand that the federal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pause the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) as it is known.

On March 9, 2024, euthanasia in Canada, or MAiD as it is known, will expand to include those suffering solely from mental illness. This is a result of the 2021 passage of Bill C-7, which also allowed the chronically ill – not just the terminally ill – to qualify for so-called doctor-assisted death.

The mental illness expansion was originally set to take effect in March. However, after massive pushback from pro-life groups, conservative politicians and others, the Liberals under Trudeau delayed the introduction of the full effect of Bill C-7 until 2024 via Bill C-39, which becomes law next year.

Dr. Sonu Gaind, who works as the chief of psychiatry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said that history shows when it comes to enacting new laws relating to sensitive life matters, “The evidence shows that we are right less than half the time.”

Proponents of MAiD have argued that there comes a point in time when a mentally ill individual is simply not curable. However, Gaind said that the notion of “incurability” might not even be possible.

Gaind said that as the evidence shows being wrong half the time, “That means that at least half the people who assessors say, ‘You’re not going to get better from your mental illness, and you can get MAID,’ at least half of those people would have gotten better.”

“Meaning, we would have provided death under a false pretence,” he added.

Gaind said there seems to be “no consensus on this issue,” and said he “firmly” thinks “we’re not ready for further expansion.”

Recently, LifeSiteNews reported on how pro-euthanasia lobbyists want Canada’s assisted suicide via lethal injection laws to be extended to drug addicts, which critics warn could lead the nation down a dangerous path nearing “eugenics.”

The delay in expanding MAiD until 2024 also came after numerous public scandals, including the surfacing of reports that Canadian veterans were being offered the fatal procedure by workers at Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC).

Offering MAiD to the mentally ill is not something ‘society should be doing,’ psychiatrist says

Dr. Jitender Sareen, head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba, said that when it comes to MAiD, there is too much left in the hands of those who do the procedure.

“Offering people death instead of appropriate treatments” is something that “really goes against what we as a society should be doing,” Sareen said as per the National Post.

Sareen also said there is no guidance as to whether a doctor can determine whether a person is suicidal or simply wants to kill themselves via MAiD.

Recent attempts by the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) to stop the expansion of MAiD have failed.

MPs in the House of Commons voted down a private members’ bill introduced by CPC MP Ed Fast that would have repealed the expansion of euthanasia laws to those suffering from mental illness.

Pro-life advocates, such as Angelina Ireland, president of the Delta Hospice Society (DHS), have warned the Trudeau government expansion of MAiD to those who are mentally ill will lead to allowing “MAiD allows agents of the state to kill us and it’s actually called ‘non-culpable homicide.’”

Ireland recently told LifeSiteNews that it was important she made clear to participants who attended to “speak to some inconvenient truths” about just how bad MAiD is for Canada.

“There is no avenue for us to ‘sue’ them (the government) or charge them with murder. We have abdicated our power and given the government the supreme authority — the right and the privilege to murder us,” Ireland said to LifeSiteNews, which she also told the event participants.

Euthanasia deaths have gone through the roof in Canada since it became legal in 2016.

According to Health Canada, in 2022, 13,241 Canadians died by MAiD lethal injection, which is 4.1% of all deaths in the country for that year, and a 31.2% increase from 2021.

The number of Canadians killed by lethal injection since 2016 now stands at 44,958.

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Red Deer

2024 Hospital Lottery presents major prizes

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Officials from the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation have presented the top prize for the 2024 Red Deer Hospital Lottery.

The Grand Prize Dream Home package is valued at $1,072,624, including furnishings by Urban Barn. The key was presented to the winner, Maxine Rumohr of Sylvan Lake.

When informed that she was the grand prize winner, Rumohr said winning the home is a “dream come true.”

“This is a nice dream that I hope I don’t wake up from,” said Rumohr when she heard the news.

The bungalow by Sorento Custom Homes features 2,796 sq ft of finished living space and has four bedrooms, two and a half baths, and a large, covered deck with vaulted ceilings. Among its features are a large primary suite with ensuite and soaking tub, a basement entertainment area, a walk-in butler’s pantry, main floor laundry, and a stone clad gas
fireplace.

Manon Therriault, Foundation CEO, expressed appreciation at the prize presentation. “We are incredibly grateful to the hardworking team at Sorento Custom Homes for bringing us a truly breathtaking Dream Home again this year,” Therriault said, speaking of the Red Deer Hospital Lottery’s biggest supporter. “Enormous thanks as well to our dedicated volunteers. All of Central Alberta benefits from the dedication of this tireless group of individuals who give so generously of their time each year.”

This year’s proceeds from the Hospital Lottery and Mega Bucks 50 will provide funding for critically needed equipment for several units at Red Deer Hospital.

Other prize winners present included Carolyn Pelerine of Cochrane, Alberta, who walked away with the $303,600 Mega Bucks 50 prize, as well as the winner of the Tree Hugger Tiny Home prize package valued at $163,798, Mary Vincent of Red Deer.

Red Deer Hospital Lottery 2024 Winners Fact Sheet

– 26th year of the lottery
– Built by award-winning Sorento Custom Homes
– Valued at $1,072,624
– Located at 16 Emmett Crescent, Red Deer
– Bungalow with 2,796 square feet of finished living space, four bedrooms, 2.5 baths
– Winner: Maxine Rumohr of Sylvan Lake, Alberta

Tree Hugger Tiny Home Prize – (includes accessories from Urban Barn)
– Valued at $163,798
– Winner: Mary Vincent of Red Deer, Alberta

Mega Bucks 50
– 50/50 raffle – Total jackpot of $607,200
– Winner of $303,600: Carolyn Pelerine of Cochrane, Alberta

Early Bird Prize
– $20,000 CASH
– Drawn May 16, 2024 at 2:00 pm
– Winner: Frieda Doz of Edmonton, Alberta

Second Chance Early Bird Draw
– $10,000 CASH
– Drawn June 6, 2024 at 2:00 pm
– Winner: Wendy Howe of Castor, Alberta

Additional Prizes
– Total value of all prizes was over $1.29 million, including dream home and tiny home
– Prizes included
o Cuisinart air fryer and Barista coffee maker (6), GoPro HERO 12 (5), Asus Vivobook Flip 14” laptop (10), DJI Mini 2SE Drone Flycam (4), Dyson V8 cordless stick vacuum (10), Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC power bank (5)

Proceeds
– Proceeds from Red Deer Hospital Lottery and Mega Bucks 50 contribute to acquiring critically needed, state-of-the-art equipment in several units at the Red Deer Hospital. This year’s lottery will fund equipment like a phototherapy system to allow parents to hold and soothe their infant while undergoing phototherapy, a cardiology case cart to monitor cardiac rhythms during stress testing, and other equipment to provide excellent care for patients at the Red Deer Hospital.

About Red Deer Regional Health Foundation

The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation is a fundraising organization for Alberta Health Services Central Zone, with a mandate to raise and disburse funds for programs, services, and the purchase of medical equipment.

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Alberta

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith promises bill protecting rights to refuse vaccines is coming

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From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

The plan is to introduce an amended Bill of Rights this fall that includes protections for individuals’ personal medical decisions.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has promised that the province’s Bill of Rights will be amended this fall so that there are protections added for people’s personal medical decisions that most likely will include one having the right to refuse a vaccine.

Smith’s promise to add protections for personal choice on vaccinations comes because of the COVID jab mandates put in place for a time in Alberta under former Premier Jason Kenney.

Speaking to Albertans at a recent town hall in Bonnyville, Smith said that the COVID crisis resulted in many people being discriminated against for their own medical decisions and that “it shouldn’t have happened.”

Smith, who leads the United Conservative Party (UCP), said that she believes “every person has to be able to do their own assessment, their own health assessment, to be able to make those decisions.”

The original plan by Smith was to add protections for one’s vaccine status directly Alberta Human Rights Act (AHRA). However, this plan was nixed after she was advised by Public Health Emergencies Governance Review Panel chair Preston Manning that this was not the right legislation for an additional protection.

Instead, Smith promised that a better “law” dealing directly with vaccine status will be forthcoming.

On Monday, Smith confirmed on X that an updated version of the Bill of Rights is coming.

“It’s time. Let’s get this done,” she wrote.

Last year, Smith, as reported by LifeSiteNews, promised to enshrine into “law” protections for people in her province who choose not to be vaccinated as well as strengthen gun rights and safeguard free speech by beefing up the provincial Bill of Rights.

On Smith’s first day on the job and only minutes after being sworn in, she said that during the COVID years the “unvaccinated” were the “most discriminated against” group of people in her lifetime.

She took over from Kenney as leader of the UCP on October 11, 2022, after winning the party leadership. The UCP then won a general election in May 2023. Kenney was ousted due to low approval ratings and for reneging on promises not to lock Alberta down during COVID.

Smith promptly fired the province’s top doctor, Deena Hinshaw, and the entire Alberta Health Services board of directors, all of whom oversaw the implementation of COVID mandates.

Under Kenney, thousands of nurses, doctors, and other healthcare and government workers lost their jobs for choosing to not get the jabs.

While Smith has not said much regarding the COVID shots since taking office, she has allowed her caucus members to have broad views when it comes to known safety issues related to the jabs.

UCP MLA Eric Bouchard hosted a sold-out event titled “An Injection of Truth” that featured prominent doctors and experts speaking out against COVID vaccines and mandates.

“Injection of Truth” included well-known speakers critical of COVID mandates and the shots, including Dr. Byram BridleDr. William Makis, canceled doctor Mark Trozzi and pediatric neurologist Eric Payne.

The COVID shots were heavily promoted by the federal government and all provincial governments in Canada, with the Alberta government under Kenney being no exception.

The mRNA shots have been linked to a multitude of negative and often severe side effects in children.

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