A Canadian cardinal has spoken out against a proposed euthanasia law in the country, saying the introduction of the legislation marked a “sad day” for Canada and that the law would lead the country down a “dark path”. The Canadian government has introduced legislation to allow voluntary euthanasia for Canadians suffering from serious medical conditions, which can be administered by themselves, doctors or family members. Reacting to the news, Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto said: “We’re all deeply concerned that this is a sad day for Canada. The very people who are most involved in helping people by the bedside while they are dying or while they are suffering are the ones most opposed to killing those entrusted in their care.” Designated as Bill C-14, the legislation spells out conditions under which seriously ill or dying competent adult Canadians may seek medical help to end their lives. The bill does not allow “medically assisted dying” for children, people with mental illness or those diagnosed with dementia. Instead, the federal government has committed those matters to further study. The bill comes in response to a unanimous Supreme Court of Canada decision in February 2015 to overturn a 1993 ban on doctor-assisted suicide. The court had given government a June 6 deadline to pass legislation. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and other groups opposed to physician-assisted suicide called on members of Parliament to vote against the measure. The bishops said the bill was “an affront to human dignity, an erosion of human solidarity and a danger to all vulnerable persons”, especially the elderly, infirm, disabled and sick who were often isolated and marginalised. “Moreover, it is a violation of the sacrosanct duty of healthcare providers to heal and the responsibility of legislators and citizens to assure and provide protection for all, especially those persons most at risk,” the bishops said in a statement released soon after the bill was introduced.