TORONTO, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Frank Leo, the metropolitan archbishop of Toronto, called on Prime Minister Mark Carney and all his MPs to “choose life” and allow support to a Conservative Party private members’ bill that would stop a planned expansion of euthanasia to those with mental illness.

“I ask you to choose life and not death; to help build a civilization that cares for those suffering and does not eliminate them, but instead surrounds them with dignity, compassion, and love,” wrote Cardinal Leo in a letter released today, addressed directly to Carney and his MPs. 

The prelate said Carney must allow his MPs to”choose life” and allow support behind Bill C-218, which is a proposed bill that would stop the expansion of so-called “Medical Assistance in Dying” (“MAiD”).

“As you know, our Catholic faith opposes the taking of any human life and it is with great disappointment and anguish that we have seen our country expand Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) at a rapid and alarming rate since legislation was passed in 2016, despite the commitments made and the safeguards promised,” wrote Cardinal Leo.

Bill C-218, or “An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying [i.e., euthanasia]),” was introduced by Conservative Party MP Tamara Jansen and passed its first reading on June 20, 2025, as reported by LifeSiteNews. The bill would ban extending state-sponsored euthanasia to those with mental illness. 

LifeSiteNews noted that Jansen, the bill’s sponsor, said that allowing so-called “medical assistance in dying” for those with mental illness is “not healthcare, that’s not compassion, it’s abandonment.”

Cardinal Leo said that euthanasia and assisted suicide are “indeed contrary to the dignity of the human person.” He added that many Canadians are “aware” of and “troubled” by the “speed and scope” of the planned expansion of euthanasia in Canada.

The prelate said that euthanasia in Canada has reached a point where “vulnerable individuals who may feel pressure — whether subtle or overt — during moments of profound suffering, isolation, or despair, to seek assisted death.”

“A society is rightly judged by how it cares for its most vulnerable members. 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,” he wrote.

The expansion of euthanasia for the mentally ill is slated to become law in 2027 as a consequence of the passage of Bill C-7.

As reported by LifeSiteNews, Canada’s Catholic bishops have said they “support” Bill C-218.

Cardinal Leo urges Carney to allow ‘free vote’ on Bill C-218

In his letter, Cardinal Leo urged Carney to allow a “free vote” for all Liberal MPs on Bill C-218, although the PM recently doubled down that all his MPs would tote the party’s pro-abortion and pro-euthanasia line.

“I respectfully urge you to allow a free vote among Members of Parliament within the Liberal Party of Canada. This legislation raises profound questions of conscience that transcend partisan alignment and touch on deeply held moral, ethical, and spiritual convictions,” he wrote.

“I would also urge you and the Minister of Justice to consider measures that restrict any further expansion of assisted suicide in our country and instead prioritize investments in palliative care, mental health support and resources for those who are increasingly marginalized and isolated, especially seniors and Canadians living with disabilities.”

Euthanasia is the sixth-leading cause of death in Canada, but it was not listed in Statistics Canada’s top 10 leading causes of death from 2019 to 2022.

The Liberal government under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and now Carney has worked to expand euthanasia 13-fold since it was legalized in 2016. Canada now has the fastest-growing assisted-suicide program in the world. Meanwhile, Health Canada released a series of studies on advanced requests for assisted suicide.

As reported by LifeSiteNews, recently, Montreal’s Dr. Peter Blusanovics called on the Liberal government under Mark Carney to support Bill C-218.

Some provinces, such as Alberta, as reported by LifeSiteNews, will soon be placing strong limits on assisted suicide.

However, others, such as Ontario, have seemed to double down on a looming expansion of the deadly practice. Indeed, as recently reported by LifeSiteNews, the committee that oversees assisted suicide in Ontario is planning to expand with “diverse” people who hold extreme pro-euthanasia views and are “interested” in “supporting” the fatal procedure.

Bill C-218 is not the only bill before Parliament that seeks to restrict euthanasia in Canada.

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis introduced Bill C-260, titled “An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying – protection against coercion),” which, if passed, would ban any person in government or other authority from proposing to someone that they consider euthanasia if the person did not ask for it.