WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Canada is set to begin euthanising children without parental consent.
OUR VERDICT
False. There are no plans to expand assisted dying legislation to include children.
AAP FACTCHECK - The Canadian government is not moving to begin euthanising children without parental consent, despite claims in social media posts.
The claim is based on a dismissed 2023 parliamentary committee recommendation and a pamphlet which has been wrongly attributed to the government.
The claim is made in a Facebook post that makes reference to Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) euthanasia legal process.
The post features an article, from a website debunked numerous times by AAP FactCheck, as evidence Canada is moving to enable children to be euthanised without parental consent.
The caption reads: "Happening in Canada, scheduled for New Zealand, Australia."
The article claims the government is pushing for the expansion of MAiD and points to a leaflet, supposedly issued by the state, setting out the changes.
"According to the Canadian government's promotional material, children with mental health issues would be euthanized without parental consent under the expanded laws," the article states.
The leaflet, however, was not issued by the government.
A reverse image search reveals it was produced by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), a Christian organisation campaigning against assisted suicide.
The leaflet refers to a parliamentary committee that made various recommendations relating to mature minors in 2023.
Mature minors are those under 18 who possess the maturity and understanding necessary to make informed decisions.
The committee recommended permitting MAiD for mature minors who are assessed as having the requisite decision-making capacity, regardless of age.
Committee members said while parents should be consulted, the final decision should honour the will of a mature minor.
The recommendation was only to apply to what is known as Track 1 cases, in which a person's natural death is "reasonably foreseeable".
A Health Canada spokesperson told AAP FactCheck the government responded to the committee's recommendation by indicating the importance of finding a balance between freedom and personal autonomy and keeping minors safe from harm.
"The government of Canada is not considering any legislative changes to this requirement that minors cannot receive MAID," the spokesperson added.
Jocelyn Downie, an expert in Canadian health law and ethics at Dalhousie University, confirmed under-18s cannot access MAiD and told AAP FactCheck it is unlikely the Canadian parliament would ever enable them to.
Since 2016, in order to access assisted dying in Canada, a person must be eligible under the criteria set out in the nation's Criminal Code, which states a person must be a minimum of 18 years old, have decision-making capacity, and have a serious and incurable medical condition.
In 2021, the Canadian government legislated an expansion allowing adults whose only medical condition is a mental illness to access MAiD.
However, the changes have been delayed twice and the latest extension to the exclusion lasts until March 2027.
Cameron Stewart, an expert in health, law and ethics at the University of Sydney Law School, described the claims made about Canada as "garbage".
Professor Stewart told AAP FactCheck there are no moves to expand Voluntary Assisted Dying to children in Australia or in New Zealand.
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