On 14th December 2012, the Canadian Parliament signed into law Bill c300 – ‘an Act respecting the establishment of a national framework for suicide prevention’.
The role of YLC Founder in the advocacy towards accomplishing Bill c300 is best described by Dr Adrian Hill, Chair of the YLC National & International Advisory Board and former President of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention:
Background to C300 and the key involvement of Your Life Counts:
There is a saying “success has many fathers while failure is an orphan…” Perhaps this has never been so true than in the case of Bill c300. There are so many stories about how Bill c300 came to be and there are so many people laying claim to it. This is perhaps understandable at some level as for decades so little progress was made with this crucial issue in the Federal Parliament of Canada. However, if you really want to know the truth of how this key legislation came about, here is a precis from Dr. Adrian Hill…
“In 2012 over ten years of hard work coalesced with the intersection of three key players, helping Canada begin to create a framework for a national suicide prevention strategy.
Following the 2008 suicide of Carleton University student Nadia Kajouji, Ruaraidh Butler and Your Life Counts caught the attention of Conservative MP Harold Albrecht, Kitchener-Conestoga. A mutual goal of amending the Criminal Code to strengthen laws prohibiting on-line counselling of suicidal persons to kill themselves evolved into the task of passing federal legislation for the enabling of a Canadian Suicide Prevention Strategy. Ruaraidh Butler and Harold Albrecht met up with Dr. Adrian Hill, past President of The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and Chair of the YLC International Advisory Board. As Editor of the document, Adrian was able to share in fine detail the 2004 CASP Blueprint for a national suicide prevention strategy.
Within days the three men began planning to make the CASP strategy a national document.
After three years of steady leadership from Harold Albrecht MP and a mix of collaboration, effort, politics and providence, Bill C300, Federal Framework for Suicide Prevention Act, became law on December 14th, 2012.”
- Adrian Hill LSM, ADAC, CCGA, LLB, Juris.D. Chair, YLC International Advisory Board
“…Ruaraidh’s counsel and advice were invaluable to developing this piece of legislation…” – extract from endorsement of Harold Albrecht MP
Read the verbatim record link of Mr Albrecht thanking Ruaraidh Butler and Your Life Counts for our role in Bill c300 in the Open Parliament records.
Parliamentary archives that mention YLC’s participation and engagement with committees and hearings including the Parliamentary Committee on Palliative & Compassionate Care would be available via requisition.