Rafael Gomez

Host Speaking Freely (TLN) | co-founder ThinkTankToronto Inc., | Professor of Industrial Relations and Human Resources | Views are my own

[Amanda Achtman @AmandaAchtman]

"Canada has made disabled people a killable class, and hardly anyone has considered the impact this would have on us. This country must maintain MAiD-free health-care spaces." – @mssinenomine

https://t.co/b5zkzl5FKC

[Rafael Gomez @RafSpeakingFree]

@aidangomez Great decision 👏

[Amanda Achtman @AmandaAchtman]

Listen to how many times Justice Minister Sean Fraser says the purpose of amending the Criminal Code on euthanasia is about protecting doctors from criminal prosecution rather than anything to do with patients' rights.

[Gabrielle Peters 👩🏻‍🦽 @mssinenomine]

Not a Catholic but a Catholic hospital saved my life.
First step in saving a life is believing it has value.
I was dying. Only offered comfort care. RN who came to my home said she St Paul's the Catholic 🏥 had saved other patients of hers that other hospitals gave up on.

[Greg Brady @gregbradyx]

3 years ago, sitting in my living room in Ajax on a Saturday morning (cat on lap, Premier League match on), I flipped channels once I realized what was happening. It felt surreal. It always will. But it all happened as we ALL remember it.

Hamas terrorists crossed the border and deliberately hunted civilians, murdering families, slaughtering hundreds dancing at the Nova festival, and dragging hostages back into Gaza while crowds cheered. They didn't hide their brutality, their atrocities, or methods. They recorded as much of it as they could, and published as much of it as they could.

A mountain of evidence showing mass murder, sexual violence, and torture. Yet, before Israel even buried its dead, people thousands of miles away began rationalizing the massacre as "resistance". Incredibly, public sector union leaders, academics, & some politicians didn't even wait a weekend before explaining why this might even be defended, or in extreme cases, deserved.

Since then, antisemitism has surged back into North American society with terrifying speed. Leaders have been few & far between in Toronto, & many other cities & communities. A segment of our population (maybe very small, but certainly very vocal) has decided to hold Jewish people to account for a foreign government. We would never do it, in the 21st Century, to any other race or religion. It'd be utterly wrong, unfair, & incendiary.

I urge all to do what we can to turn the tide. Speak up. Call out bullshit. I want my kids living in a society where citizens don't have to look over their shoulder, hide their religious symbols, and be subject to aggressive & illegal protests outside their common spaces.

The post-October 7 era in Canada has exposed a dangerous tolerance for targeted intimidation, leaving a deep scar on the country’s commitment to genuine inclusivity and safety for all. That commitment shouldn't come with purity tests or conditions.

I remember the October 7 victims today. I also will continue to speak up against intimidation, threats, & actual violence.

The line between political criticism or judgement of a war....and direct harassment of our Jewish brothers & sisters has become blurry. We must push back & say what's obvious.

[Alissa Golob @alissagolob]

In an opinion piece posted yesterday in the New York Times, doctors Gary Rodin and Madeline Li from the University of Toronto shared mounting fears among Canada's healthcare professionals over increasing cases of euthanasia approvals.

They cited one case which saw a woman in her 70s struggling with losing her ability to cook for her family, something she prided herself on as the matriarch. She was APPROVED for assisted dying, and told doctors she had felt she had lost her value to her family.

Through counseling, she came to understand that her family valued who she was, not what she did for them, and ultimately decided not to through with ending her life.

Although these doctors aren't even against assisted-suicide, they are sounding the alarm that Canada is not doing enough to help people sustain people's sense of dignity and meaning in life.

@MarkJCarney

[Trudo Lemmens @TrudoLemmens]

NY Time oped with expression of concern by 2 psychiatrists involved in implementation of MAID in their hospital & in Canada. Gary Rodin & Madeline Li point to rushed MAID decisions, MAID for socio-economic reasons, failure of professionals to explore other options

[Joseph Steinberg @jbsteinberg]

P.S. @LenaMetlegeDiab, if you have a PhD from a top university AND a job offer from a top Canadian university, your work permit should be processed almost instantaneously. My department has been waiting 1.5 years for you to process one of our "recent" hires!

[Trevor Stammers @STAGEDOC]

“The availability of euthanasia, a guaranteed method, thus makes it more likely that suicidal women and girls will die. Of the 30 people under age 30 who received psychiatric euthanasia in 2024, 25 were female.”
Dutch AD is even given for teenagers with mental illness

[Trudo Lemmens @TrudoLemmens]

Looking forward to this presentation tomorrow at my alma mater @LawMcGill for the McGill Research Group on Health & Law, on "MAiD for Mental Illness and the Human Cost of Precarious Constitutional Claims" #MAID #Euthanasia

[All The Right Movies @ATRightMovies]

ZODIAC was released 19 years ago today. Telling the story of one of the United States’ most notorious serial killers, and among the most acclaimed films of David Fincher, the making of story is as mysterious as the case…

1/37

[Taste of Cinema @davidcinema]

Nobody is perfect, but some movies are. We present you the 10 most perfect movies of all time: https://t.co/phQweUEtoe

[The Free Press @TheFP]

One out of every 20 deaths in Canada is now caused by the government’s assisted suicide program.

What’s even more shocking is how fast the deaths are approved, writes @RupaSubramanya.

[The Ways of A Gentleman @Gentleman_Ways]

I think about this scene often. It’s from the movie A River Runs Through It. Turn up the volume and give this a listen before bed.
You won’t regret it.

[Care Not Killing @CNKAlliance]

“Societal discourse frequently describes MAiD as a last resort. Yet it has become a leading cause of death in Canada, reflecting normalization within clinical pathways rather than exceptional use. MAiD is fundamentally different from other interventions. It is irreversible, cannot be titrated for benefit, and targets the person, not the disease-process.”
―Dr @RLJCoelho (Ontario, Canada)
https://t.co/OGvptsJIe0

[Gabrielle Peters 👩🏻‍🦽 @mssinenomine]

I am a disabled Canadian who has published in academic journals, magazines, newspapers, testified before Canadian parliamentary committee - twice - and wrote chapters in a book about MAiD.

Don't listen to Marlene or anyone giving you pat answers about MAiD.

[Ramona Coelho @rljcoelho]

Vulnerability and safeguard gaps exist in MAiD. Denial of undue influence and risks weakens ethical care and public trust.

Further, have we considered how inserting assisted dying into medicine changes clinical practice itself?

My response in The BMJ:

https://t.co/kPYsaovR1m

[Trudo Lemmens @TrudoLemmens]

Excellent commentary that refutes claims in a recent interview w MAID promotor Dr Downar that Canada’s MAID is more tightly regulated than any medical practice and that there are no concerns about coercion & pressure…

[Mikal Skuterud @mikalskuterud]

Someone asked me this week how to be critical of current immigration policy without being inflaming or Pollyanna. Look no further. This is how we get our world-renowned immigration system back on track.👇
(link: https://t.co/4yuO6OK7Cj)

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

If you need a Saturday evening flick, might I recommend Dark Waters? This is a Todd Haynes-directed film that gives us Mark Ruffalo as real-life attorney Robert Bilott, who takes on the chemical giant DuPont. It’s also a sneaky nice performance from Tim Robbins. A good film.