A special parliamentary committee is expected to recommend that the federal government indefinitely pause the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAID) to individuals whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder. This marks the latest development in a prolonged and controversial chapter of Canada's assisted-death regime.
Committee's Recommendation
The joint committee of senators and Members of Parliament, tasked with reassessing Canada's preparedness for MAID in cases of mental illness alone, is expected to recommend an 'indefinite pause' on the expansion, according to two sources who spoke to the National Post on condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the committee.
A temporary exclusion is currently set to be lifted in March 2027. The committee's final report is expected to be tabled in the House of Commons on Wednesday, which marks the 10th anniversary of the legalization of assisted death in Canada. The government will then decide whether to proceed with the 2027 timeline.
Witness Testimony and Concerns
In total, the committee heard from 44 witnesses and received 32 briefs. Many opposed granting MAID eligibility based solely on mental illness over several core issues, including whether it is possible to determine with certainty when psychiatric suffering has become 'irremediable'—essentially incurable—and a lack of access to mental health care and supports.
Sixteen current and former chairs of psychiatry departments across Canada, along with more than 90 disability and mental health organizations, appealed to the committee to halt the extension of MAID to include mental disorders as the sole underlying medical condition. They warned that there is no broadly accepted definition of irremediability and that 'people can and do recover from prolonged suffering' from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other mental health disorders when provided with appropriate treatments and support.
Provincial Perspectives
Alberta is moving to exclude MAID for mental illness alone. In June 2023, Quebec's Bill 11 passed, stating that a mental disorder other than a neurocognitive disorder does not make a person eligible for MAID in Quebec. Quebec's minister of health and social services wrote to the committee expressing the province's opposition to the expansion. However, no other province made themselves available to testify at the committee, sources said.
A medical leader from Nova Scotia stated that the maritime province was ready to expand MAID for mental illness, but this view was not widely echoed.
Dissenting Opinions
Three senators on the 17-member committee are expected to issue a dissenting report. Proponents of expansion argued that people with mental illness can experience distress as profound as those with physical illnesses and should not be discriminated against or treated as 'second-class citizens.' Some warned that individuals might die by suicide if there is a further extension or permanent exclusion.
The Liberal government had previously passed legislation in February 2024 delaying the implementation of MAID for mental illness until March 2027. The joint committee was reconvened earlier this year to once again reassess the country's readiness for the expansion.
