Archbishop Frank Leo of Toronto has urged Prime Minister Mark Carney, a Catholic, to support a legislative effort that would protect people with mental illness from state-sanctioned euthanasia.
“A society is rightly judged by how it cares for its most vulnerable members,” he told Carney in an April 20 letter. “There is growing anxiety that the normalization and expansion of assisted suicide risks undermining a culture of compassion, weakening investments in palliative support, and diminishing the collective commitment to accompany those suffering.”
The timing of the archbishop’s letter comes with a particular urgency amid the life-and-death situation posed by the country’s euthanasia program, “Medical Aid in Dying” (MAiD). Since its legalization in 2016, euthanasia has been made more widely accessible, with guardrails taken away and eligibility criteria expanded.
In 2021, MAiD eligibility was expanded to those with non-terminal chronic illnesses. Amanda Achtman, a Catholic anti-MAiD activist, warned in 2024 that physicians’ offer of euthanasia to suffering patients has become pervasive, according to a CatholicVote report. In 2024, 16,499 people were killed by euthanasia through MAiD, according to a government annual report.
In June 2025, a Canadian House member introduced a bill to prohibit the expansion of MAiD to those whose sole underlying medical condition is mental illness. Zeale News reported at the time that the government is on track to make this expansion by 2027. According to an April 30 report by CP24, this expansion is set to take effect March 2027.
In his letter, Archbishop Leo urged Carney to allow a free vote among Members of Parliament within the Liberal Party of Canada for this bill, as the months continue dwindling toward 2027, a year that may have felt far-off when the bill was initially introduced.
“This legislation raises profound questions of conscience that transcend partisan alignment and tough on deeply held moral, ethical, and spiritual convictions,” Archbishop Leo wrote. “I ask you to choose life and not death; to build a civilization that cares for those suffering and does not eliminate them, but instead surrounds them with dignity, compassion, and love.”
He also urged Carney and Sean Fraser, the minister of justice, to consider measures that will further prevent expansion of assisted suicide and instead invest in palliative care and mental health resources for people who face increasing marginalization and isolation, especially the elderly and those with disabilities.
The archbishop said he writes to Carney “keenly aware of our collective obligation to safeguard the dignity of every human life and to serve the common good.”
The archbishop appealed to their shared Catholic faith and the Church’s teachings on human life, saying that they have watched the “rapid and alarming rate” of expansion of MAiD “with great disappointment and anguish.”
“Euthanasia and assisted suicide are indeed contrary to the dignity of the human person,” he continued. “You are certainly aware that many Canadians are increasingly troubled by the speed and scope of these developments, and by the inevitable harmful effects on vulnerable individuals who may feel pressure — whether subtle or overt — during moments of profound suffering, isolation, or despair, to seek assisted death.”
Archbishop Leo emphasized that he is available to speak personally with the prime minister and reiterated his prayers for Carney and all public officials.
He concluded by writing, “May you be guided by wisdom, courage, and a steadfast commitment to the common good.”