I’m an English-born Anglican priest who has lived in Canada for 35 years. I regard myself as an orthodox Christian but I suppose I’ve a certain reputation as a liberal on many issues. Philosopher Kathleen Stock rather dismissed me recently in one of her columns as a “progressive clergyman” and the Christian socialist MP Wes Streeting tweeted extremely generously that if he could recommend a single book to support the Christian acceptance of same-sex marriage it would be mine.
So, it might come as a surprise when I warn people of the incalculable dangers of Canada’s approach to assisted dying, or what is known in this largely successful and impressive social democracy as MAID, or Medical Assistance in Dying. It was introduced in 2016 after much debate, and in 2021 alone there were at least 10,000 deaths under the scheme. The current numbers aren’t precise but it seems that we’re now close to 32,000.
