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EFC Update Newsletter April 21

21 April 2026

Changes ahead: We’d love your input

We’re redesigning the EFC Update, and we’d welcome your thoughts. Please fill out our short survey about your priorities and preferences for our newsletter. Include your email for a chance to win a $20 Tim Hortons gift card. If you already filled out the survey last week, please email newsletters@theefc.ca, and we’ll also enter you in the draw.

EFC urges reversal of MAiD law

The EFC sent a written submission yesterday to a special committee of MPs and senators studying MAiD for mental illness. We urged a complete reversal of the law allowing MAiD for mental illness, which will come into effect in March 2027. If the expansion of MAiD goes ahead, the EFC strongly recommended additional safeguards be put in place, such as requiring a direct assessment by a psychiatrist and that MAiD be a last resort after all reasonable treatment options have been tried. Read the EFC’s brief.

Bill to protect minors online passes in Senate

A bill to protect minors from the harms of online pornography has passed in the Senate. Bill S-209 would make it a criminal offence to make pornographic material available, for commercial purposes, to minors online. Mainstream pornography frequently depicts violent and degrading sexual content that is easily accessible by children and youth. The bill will now move through debate and votes in the House of Commons. Read more about Bill S-209.

EFC seeking social policy researcher

The EFC is seeking to hire a Social Policy Researcher for 10 weeks. This position will be funded through the Canada Summer Jobs program. The successful applicant will perform research on social and public policy issues relevant to the EFC. Visit TheEFC.ca/jobs to learn more about the position and how to apply.

MAiD and inconvenient compassion

Is MAiD a compassionate answer to suffering? EFC President David Guretzki says the parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates what Jesus wants us to do in the face of suffering: “Like the Samaritan, to be utterly inconvenienced.”

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