Take Action on Conscience Rights

Call to action

• Hear from doctors explaining why this issue is so critical (3 min video on YouTube).
• Find your province and a sample letter you can use to quickly and easily write to your provincial health minister at www.CanadiansForConscience.ca.
• Three doctors discussed the need for increased legal conscience protections in a March 10, 2021 EFC webinar. You can watch the half-hour webinar recording on our website.
• We held a longer webinar on conscience protection March 17, 2021. You can also watch that recording.

The EFC is partnering with the Coalition for HealthCARE and Conscience in its Call for Conscience campaign, including special time-limited campaigns in various provinces.

These campaigns encourage residents to contact their provincial politicians to ask for strong conscience protection in current legislation.

Social media images to share (March 2021)

Click an image to see it full size, then right-click to download it.

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Latest updates

• Visit TheEFC.ca/Euthanasia and click "What's Happening" to get the latest news on related court cases, letters to government and more.

Quick summary

• Most jurisdictions are finding ways to protect the conscience of healthcare workers when there are requests for assisted death. Manitoba for example has such legislation.
• But Ontario has adopted a policy that doctors must provide effective referrals even for procedures that violate their deeply held beliefs. This means they must refer a patient seeking Medical Assistance in Dying (or any other procedure such as surgical abortion) to a physician or nurse practitioner who is willing to offer the procedure. The province's College of Physicians and Surgeons is reviewing its MAID policies in May 2021.
• Residents of each province – and at the moment especially those in Ontario – can urge their MPP and Provincial Minister of Health to protect conscience rights. The EFC encourages Canadians to call or write your MPP or MLA using the quick and easy online form at www.CanadiansForConscience.ca. You can also help raise awareness in your church or plan a meeting with your provincial government representative using materials from that website.
• Canadians can also contact their federal MP regarding proposed legislation which would make it a criminal offence to compel a health care professional to participate in medical assistance in dying. The most recent version of this private member's bill is C-268. It would also make it an offence to fire or refuse to hire a health care worker because of their conscientious objection. See our sample letter at our Bill C-268 page.