00:03:13.120And then I started to do some research.
00:03:14.520I read some other articles and just kind of woke up to the reality of what was taking place in my own country,
00:03:20.040what was moving forward in parliament, and that we were on the precipice of this moment where mental health could become a sole consideration for doctor-assisted death.
00:03:43.580And then realized, wow, like, there's probably so many Canadians just like us, average people,
00:03:47.660who weren't aware of how rapidly this had expanded and that there's already been 30,000 deaths since 2016 because of this procedure or more and counting.
00:03:56.200And we started asking questions and we said, we just got to, you know, get the cameras rolling,
00:04:00.540get some people on camera to talk about this, to learn more, and see if Canadians really want this.
00:04:05.120Well, I'm humbled that I got to play even a small role in inspiring this.
00:04:10.840I mean, as I said, when I wrote that and in other discussions, I think more people need to be aware of it.
00:04:14.820And that's the challenge is that you can't even get to the solution phase of a problem if a lot of people in the country don't even know it's a problem and don't even know what's happening.
00:04:24.500So I'll ask you more from just the, I guess, the directorial perspective, Daniel, how do you go about telling this story?
00:04:32.080How do you go about, in not a huge amount of time, putting this problem that many people may never have really heard of or only may have heard of peripherally in front of them?
00:04:42.740And if you find an answer, let us know.
00:04:44.380But I think it's like I hearken back to when we did a film about human trafficking called She Has a Name.
00:04:51.160And it's a similar thing where you can hear about an issue and you get peripheral sound bites and you get stuff kind of flying by in the distance.
00:04:58.440And then slowly the sort of shrapnel from the cannon fire gets a little closer to home.
00:05:04.320And for us, when we did the human trafficking story, it was when we met an actual survivor from our small hometown of Red Deer, Alberta, where we went, whoa, human trafficking is not only real, but it's on my own doorstep.
00:05:15.460Well, the same thing happened with this medical assistance and dying issue.
00:05:18.440Literally, almost as if I had entered a war zone when it had shifted to a narrative that within it was actually March 2023 that they were going to initially try to force through this change in the in the law, which would allow condition of soul, condition of mental illness, which they've bumped by a year.
00:05:36.360And we got to do everything we can in the next, you know, nine to 12 months here to try to raise awareness about it.
00:05:40.800But it was when that happened, I guess, around January, February, I started getting news articles.
00:05:46.300I started hearing about people connected to my own small community now in the Comox Valley that have loved ones that have used MAID, have loved ones that are considering MAID, have loved ones that are applying for MAID right now, have loved ones that are in line for when conditions solely mental illness, they are going to be there at the front.
00:06:05.900That was such a bring it too close to home moment for me and for us as brothers as filmmakers is like, we need to tell this story because I believe when people do hear it, they are shocked.
00:06:16.100Because we're not talking about the cases that it was, quote unquote, initially made for in this series.
00:06:20.960We're talking about people who are vulnerable, people who have disabilities, people, their sole condition right now might be that they're legally blind and they're going to get MAID and they have 45 years to live.
00:06:31.440Like we're talking about these stories of Canadian veterans like Christine Gauthier, who's a five-time world champion.
00:06:39.100She served in Canada's military and veteran affairs on outgoing calls offered her medical assistance in dying rather than a wheelchair lift, which is what she actually needed.
00:06:49.540So these are the kind of stories that when they're put in front of audiences, I really do believe that it shifts from awareness to action.
00:06:55.260And I hope that everybody listening will realize that their voice in this conversation matters.
00:06:59.680And even a small, faint little shout from a corner of a dark room is going to make a difference in this case.
00:07:05.440When you mentioned the case of Christine, which is, I think, a shocking one and one that really put this issue on the radar for a lot of Canadians, all of these stories that have come up, of which there have not been an inconsequential amount, they're not denied by the Liberal government.
00:07:20.000But Justin Trudeau, David Lamedi, the Attorney General, they sort of all just say they're outliers.
00:07:24.460You know, Trudeau, I know you shared the clip and it was in the trailer there.
00:07:27.780Oh, well, yeah, we got rid of the person.
00:08:15.800I mean, even hearing from like liberal members that they think this is a dangerous path.
00:08:20.900I think the party has been whipped to have a certain talking point.
00:08:26.000But I think they're and what they're doing is saying this pause is almost a safeguard in and of itself.
00:08:31.160Our concern is that we'll just wait a year and they're going to just continue moving forward and that they've just used this time delay as a perception of safeguarding.
00:08:39.980And as we talked to, you know, people like Dr. Sanu Gan from the University of Toronto, he he's an incredible psychiatrist and he he's a maid assessor and he works on a maid committee.
00:08:49.980But he said he will resign from his position if if it expands to mental health.
00:08:55.920So they're like, you know, not just like filmmakers who are just learning about this, raising the red flag, but people who this is their their vocation are are saying this is their these are aberrations.
00:09:07.840This is really or sorry, not aberration.
00:09:11.880And, you know, we've had 100 plus disability advocacy groups saying to the government, please do not expand this.
00:09:18.800This is a social experiment that is tragic when you bring in people living with disabilities, when you bring in mental health.
00:09:24.760And we really we do think it's not apoplectic to say that this will open a Pandora's box because these experts are saying people with mental health issues who get made would have gotten better.
00:09:35.820We just won't know who they are because they'll be dead.
00:09:39.120Just to drill down on that coalition you you allude to there, people sort of expect faith based groups to be opposed to this because they're traditionally pro-life on other issues.
00:09:49.300People sort of expect, I think, large C conservative politicians to come out against this.
00:09:54.760This is something that is attracting a resistance from people that are not just Christians and not just conservatives.
00:10:01.320It's attracting, as you mentioned, the disability rights advocates, the the mental health advocates, people that are not political may actually be be quite on the left.
00:10:08.760And were you finding you were able to get that diversity in the people you interviewed, Daniel?
00:10:13.720Yeah, that that was probably in many ways what made it such an obvious.
00:10:18.880Well, it was called a catastrophic social experiment by someone in a testimony in Ottawa.
00:10:25.340And I think that all of these different voices lend to that that definition because, yeah, you start to see that, wow, like everyday Canadians from every walk of life, when they hear the actual facts, not just the talking points that are pushed out on mainstream media, but the actual facts and the people who are affected negatively by this.
00:10:44.100They basically I mean, you you barely squeak out the national anthem when you know the truth, because it's so heartbreaking to think that this is where Canada is headed and it's a fringe group of people, an actual fringe group of people in the government in Ottawa that are pushing this and believe in this.
00:11:02.740And the expansion of it should really should really it should shock and alarm us to the point that we want to do something.
00:11:08.820And I think it can't be understated that every single person has not only an ability to raise some issues around this and to try to see if they can be a part of the solution and changing and curbing it.
00:11:20.580But like we have a moral responsibility as Canadians, because this is a battle for the soul of our nation.
00:11:25.220I really believe that. And I don't think those come up every day.
00:11:28.120I think that this is an issue that is threatening the actual makeup of who we are as a country and where it it really is a sign of where we could be headed if we don't address it.
00:11:38.380And hearing those different voices to your question from every different I mean, originally we thought, well, maybe it'll be like a certain group of people that will kind of share our viewpoint.
00:11:48.760Well, no, it was doctors, ethicists, people in disability groups, average citizens, people in the workforce, young people, old people, you know, people that are veterans that have served our country, people from all the different walks of life.
00:12:00.940And it really is accelerated so fast. It's very alarming.
00:12:05.180And again, I just continue to believe that true Canadians are going to rise up and say something about this.
00:12:11.700I didn't warn you ahead of time that I would be giving you an assignment, but I hope you'll indulge me for a moment.
00:12:16.680I want to put up a chart from Statistics Canada here.
00:12:20.040And this is, again, government data. This is irrefutable as far as the government's idea is concerned.
00:12:24.680And this looks at the total made deaths in Canada over the last five years, up until the last year for which numbers are available, 2021.
00:12:32.720And you see every year it's going up, you know, 1,000, 2,800, 4,456.
00:14:19.980I think there's a policy problem as well.
00:14:22.580But I think when you remove the individual's hand from the procedure, then it definitely, when you make it a medical procedure, and you take off, you know, the stigma of taking your own life, there's something that changes with the procedure itself.
00:14:39.880And I think that, you know, even the euphemism that we use, medical assistance in dying, is significant, and the words matter.
00:14:47.260And that's a definite intentional change in the language.
00:14:52.640You know, and this is the irony in Canada.
00:14:55.780We have worked for decades to stop suicide at all costs.
00:14:59.960And now, out of the same mouth, the government, like, which has worked, has worked so hard, and I would, and I commend the government of, you know, if the past president for all the work they've done to stop suicide, we have a suicide hotline, there's resources.
00:15:14.140But now, that same entity is saying, this is okay.
00:15:20.340It's a totally confusing and mixed message, and one that I think just the damage done to the stop suicide movement is going to be incalculable.
00:15:29.460Yeah, and that was, I mean, one of the reasons I shared my own story there, is that I'm so grateful that I had doctors that said, no, I'm not going to settle for some young man that could have a bright future going down the road of suicide.
00:15:41.680And now you push this into the current context when suicide is seen as a medical treatment, and it's seen as an answer to problems, rather than the type of thing that is itself a problem.
00:15:53.840I'll give the last word to you on this, Daniel.
00:15:55.960Daniel, I know your first episode really looks at kind of the bigger picture of this, setting the table.
00:16:00.280The second episode, which we shared the trailer for early, talks about Canada's heroes and their treatment.
00:16:08.220Yeah, well, we have four more episodes in the queue, and it's worth noting it's a viewer-supported series, so anyone that feels passionate about this, you can literally help us to tell this story by going to madeincanada.org and getting behind us.
00:16:20.020Because we really felt like, for one, I personally wouldn't pay money as a pay-per-view to watch a series like this, but I would want to watch this.
00:16:30.400And so we want it to be available free to all Canadians and people in other countries as well.
00:16:34.300But we are calling on those that are passionate about the stories and about the issue to join along with us and support us through the Made in Canada site, and you can do that as a one-time pledge or a subscription.
00:16:44.720But the point being, in the four additional episodes, we're going to cover quite a broad range, but specifically, we're diving right now into medical ethics.
00:16:52.640So what are the ethics of the medical profession, and is this even possible to label as a medical treatment?
00:16:58.540Because they actually put that word, like, treatment on stuff, and a treatment that kills you is not actually, by definition, a treatment.
00:17:07.560So I think it's something that we're really going to dive into as the ethical questions in the next episode.
00:17:13.080We also have one that is about a very perplexing and shocking part of it.
00:17:17.920It's called ODE, which stands for Organ Donation Euthanasia.
00:17:20.800They actually promote in clinics and in hospices in Canada that we are leading all districts in organ donation euthanasia, and that should be something to weep about, not to celebrate.
00:17:33.300And this is truly, I mean, a nurse in my own town just messaged me, because they know we're making this, and said, guess what?
00:17:39.980They just announced that we've surpassed organ donation all-time organ donation record.
00:17:48.320So they're giving it as an alternative to say, you know what, maybe you're suffering too much, maybe life is hard, but you can go out in a blaze of glory and help somebody.
00:17:58.500And that is called suicidal ideation, and that is a very, very dangerous, in fact, illegal thing, if you consider.
00:18:04.680So Organ Donation Euthanasia is another episode we're working on, plus one that is very intriguing and should get people's attention, is follow the money.
00:18:14.540What does this mean for the cost of which the actual liberal government said that our health care system is on the verge of collapse?
00:18:21.480So the people that are saying we're going to expand medical assistance in dying also said our health care system nationwide is on the verge of collapse.
00:18:30.160So just try to put those two together and see if the narrative lines up.
00:18:33.360That, I mean, I've covered this issue extensively, and the organ donation dimension is not one I've come across at all.
00:18:40.560So I'm already learning things in the interview.