BILL C-14 HISTORY:

The Canadian law prohibiting assisted suicide was struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada on February 6, 2015.  Parliament was given one year to draft new legislation, and later was granted an extension to June 6, 2016.

On April 15, 2016, Canada's Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould introduced Bill C-14 to govern under which circumstances a person can legally receive assisted suicide.  After debate in Parliament and review by the Justice and Human Rights Committee, Bill C-14 was passed by the House of Commons May 31, 2016 and then by the Senate June 17, 2016.

The final version of the Bill, after 16 amendments, maintains that assisted suicide be confined to cases where the death of the person is "reasonably foreseeable."  C-14 does not protect people from a greedy beneficiary or an unscrupulous family member.  Beneficiaries are not prohibited from participating in a person's assisted suicide or signing a person's request for assisted suicide.  Read more about Bill C-14