Canada will indefinitely suspend plans to expand its medically assisted dying law to people whose sole condition is mental illness, citing a lack of consensus on eligibility.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser announced the decision on Wednesday, stating, "while there is not a perfect consensus on this issue, we believe this is the correct approach." This follows a parliamentary panel's recommendation earlier this year against expanding the program, known as Maid in Canada.
Supporters argue that excluding individuals with mental illness as their sole condition violates their constitutional rights and access to healthcare. A federal court case is currently challenging the government's previous decision to delay access for these individuals.
The announcement means that Canadians with mental illness as their sole condition will not be able to access assisted dying by the previously planned date of March 2027. Fraser indicated that new legislation will be introduced in the coming weeks to suspend this expansion indefinitely.
The proposed legislation will also address advanced requests, allowing patients with progressing incurable illnesses to consent to assisted dying before they become unable to do so. Advanced requests are not currently legal.
"These are not easy decisions but we believe they will be the correct ones," Fraser said.
Medically assisted dying was legalized in Canada in 2016 for individuals with terminal illnesses, who still constitute the majority of cases. In 2021, following a court case in Quebec, the law was expanded to include individuals with incurable conditions, even if their death was not imminent – a mechanism referred to as "track two" Maid.
This expansion has been controversial, with disability advocacy groups reporting instances where assisted dying was offered to individuals with disabilities without their explicit request.
Canada had initially planned to expand assisted dying to those with mental illness as their sole condition in 2023 but postponed the decision twice to allow for further study.
- If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.
- In Canada, support can be found at the Suicide Crisis Helpline by dialling 988.
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