In a House of Commons committee testimony, Canadian Armed Forces veteran Kelsie Sheren accused Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) of pushing Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) on struggling ex-soldiers while denying them essential therapies for conditions like traumatic brain injuries.
Sheren, an Afghanistan combat veteran and podcaster, described the practice as a profound "betrayal" and "moral rot" in the system.
"Canada doesn't even track veteran suicides or MAID deaths among them," she said, highlighting an alleged lack of accountability that leaves soldiers abandoned after their service.
The session exploded online, with journalist Sheila Gunn Reid posting a clip: "CAF veteran Kelsie Sheren just ripped the VAC a new one... for its disgraceful failure in offering MAID to veterans while it blocks access to innovative treatments."
MAID became legal in Canada in 2016 and was later expanded in 2021, but the program drew national outrage in 2022 after it was revealed that a Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) employee had offered MAID unsolicited to several veterans, including retired corporal Christine Gauthier, who was seeking help for PTSD and accessibility issues.
The federal government confirmed at least four such incidents between 2019 and 2022; the employee was fired, and then-minister Lawrence MacAulay called the conduct “unacceptable.”
A 2023 House of Commons report found no official VAC policy allowing such offers but identified serious training failures, prompting mandatory retraining and new mental-health safeguards.
As of 2025, no further cases have been reported, though veterans’ advocates remain wary as Canada prepares to expand MAID eligibility in 2027 to include mental illness as a sole condition.