(LifeSiteNews) — On this week’s episode of The Van Maren Show, Les Landry shares with Jonathon his story about why he applied for assisted suicide under Canada’s medical assistance in dying law (MAID), as well as what the government should do to help people like him who don’t want to die but increasingly see it as their only option.
Landry tells Jonathon he used to drive a truck but one day developed a hernia that led to surgery. Allergic to the anesthesia, he subsequently suffered three strokes and developed epilepsy. He received disability benefits because he could no longer drive a truck, but he became ineligible for them when he turned 65, leaving him unable to afford his living expenses.
“I lost my disability benefits, and I was pretty vocal that I’m seeking MAID because I simply cannot afford to live. I cannot afford to maintain my disability,” he said.
Landry believes that if the Canadian government wants to expand MAID, they have a “duty and responsibility” to expand benefits and improve quality of life for the people targeted by the expansion.
“I have a serious issue with [Justin] Trudeau standing up in the House of Commons and saying this is a human right for people that qualify,” he said. “Well, for one thing, a human right is a right. You should not have to fill out an application for a human right … and then to be denied your human rights based on that application is wrong. And Prime Minister Trudeau should not be deceiving the Canadian public by that fact.”
Asked what people can do to help him, Landry urged Canadians to call and write letters to their lawmakers about supporting disability benefits for seniors age 65+, as well as a poverty reduction plan.
“Maybe we should start contacting the senators and say, ‘Hey, listen, why are we excluding seniors with disabilities just based on age? You want to talk about human rights? Let’s talk about discrimination there, Prime Minister Trudeau,” he said. “If you can justify all this by human rights, let’s talk about discrimination based on age. That’s what’s happening here. Just because I turned 65, I’m supposed to be kicked to the curb? This is Canada.”
This is a sobering but powerful show you won’t want to miss. Listen to this week’s episode of The Van Maren Show with Les Landry below:
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