Recovery from severe mental illness is possible, yet recovery is poorly understood and significantly impaired by ignorance, stigma and discrimination. 

The late Patrick W. Corrigan was a prominent American mental health scholar, researcher and social scientist who was a world-leading expert in the stigma of mental illness. In 2016, shortly after Justin Trudeau became prime minister of Canada, Professor Corrigan sent him an open letter addressing my experience of severe mental illness in Canada and subsequent recovery in Australia. In that open letter, Professor Corrigan stated: “Knowledge of Mr. Mahar’s story will serve to challenge the stigma of mental illness, raise awareness of recovery, and inspire hope for people with mental health problems and their families.” 

Although I have publicly shared aspects of my personal story for more than two decades, it is an especially critical time in Canada to challenge stigma, raise awareness of recovery, and inspire hope. 

Eligibility for medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada is scheduled to be expanded for people whose sole medical condition is mental illness, starting in March 2027. There is ongoing debate whether eligibility for MAID should include mature minors. Furthermore, the death of 26-year old Kiano Vafaeian on December 30, 2025, raises extremely serious questions about the implementation of MAID in Canada and whether mental illness is already being used by medical practitioners to end the lives of vulnerable people.

In fact, investigative journalist Sam Cooper at The Bureau has recently advocated for an external review of MAID (From Exception to Routine. Why Canada’s State-Assisted Suicide Regime Demands a Human-Rights Review), which I fully support.

I plan to oppose the expansion of MAID for mental illness by using my own story, which cannot be understood without knowledge of my role as a whistleblower and a long-term case of systemic corruption in Canada — the File 1000-121 Affair.