Halt MAID expansion

AI summary

Petitioners ask the government to halt MAID expansion, including advance requests under Recommendation 21, and fund palliative care. The government responds that MAID is tightly regulated, provinces oversee services, and reviews, guidance and training continue.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Government of Canada PETITION: Requesting the federal government to cease the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAID), including advanced requests. We, the undersigned, request the rejection of any legislative recommendations that would permit the expansion of MAID, including advanced requests following a diagnosis of a serious and incurable medical condition, disease or disorder leading to incapacity, as outlined in Recommendation 21 of the 2023 report by the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying. Whereas, • Persons who have made an advanced request for MAID might no longer be able to confirm their wishes at the time of death. If their wishes change, they may not be able to express them. • Advanced requests rely on written documents describing a person's future condition and suffering. Doctors and family members might interpret the request differently from what the patient would have wanted. • There is concern that advanced requests could lead to coercion or undue pressure, especially for older adults or those with disabilities, to request MAID to avoid burdening families or the healthcare system. • There are ethical concerns among some healthcare professionals that carrying out MAID based on an old request without current confirmation could be seen as involuntary. There is a risk that death could be seen as a "benefit" contrary to what a patient might have desired. • Predicting suffering in situations such as dementia risks treating cognitively impaired individuals as objects of past instructions rather than persons who merit a fresh assessment of their present well-being. Some may reach the point they previously feared but still enjoy life. • Canada should increase funding to palliative and hospice care and suicide prevention. • Offering MAID rather than providing support services devalues those living with chronic conditions. We ask all members of parliament not to support legislation that expands MAID or aligns with the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying Recommendation 21. Instead, we suggest an increased federal government focus on enhancing palliative and hospice care.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Health Signed by Maggie Chi Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is a complex and deeply personal issue. Provinces and territories are responsible for the organization, management and delivery of health services in their jurisdiction, including medical assistance in dying as part of end-of-life or complex care, within a federal legal framework that sets out strict criteria and robust safeguards. There is no automatic right to medical assistance in dying in Canada. Only those individuals with a grievous and irremediable (untreatable) condition – meaning that they have a serious and incurable illness condition or disability; are in an advanced state of irreversible decline; and, are experiencing intolerable and enduring suffering – may be eligible for medical assistance in dying. An individual whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness is not currently eligible for medical assistance in dying in Canada. This means that they cannot receive medical assistance in dying. In 2021, Parliament amended the Criminal Code to permit eligibility for individuals suffering from grievous and irremediable medical conditions whose death was not reasonably foreseeable, if they met the strict eligibility criteria and expanded safeguards. At that time, Parliament also enacted a temporary exclusion to exempt individuals who suffer solely from a grievous and irremediable mental illness from being eligible for medical assistance in dying, pending further review. This review was undertaken by an independent expert panel to consider protocols, guidance and safeguards to apply to requests for medical assistance in dying by persons who suffer from grievous and irremediable mental illness. The Expert Panel’s report was tabled in Parliament in 2022. As well, a special committee of Parliament, the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying was struck to consider issues related to medical assistance in dying, with a focus on the issue of individuals whose sole underlying condition is mental illness. Its 2022 report emphasized the importance of standards of practice, clear guidelines, adequate training, comprehensive patient assessments and meaningful oversight in advance of the eligibility exclusion being lifted. Its 2024 report concluded that Canada was not yet ready to proceed with eligibility for this population. The temporary exclusion exempting individuals whose sole grievous and irremediable condition is mental illness from eligibility for medical assistance in dying remains in place, having been extended twice by Parliament. This was done in response to concerns from provinces and territories and medical experts regarding health system readiness for addressing these types of requests for medical assistance in dying. Currently, the temporary exclusion is slated to automatically lift in March 2027. Pursuant to Bill C-62, a joint parliamentary committee has been established to undertake a comprehensive review relating to the eligibility for MAID of persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness. This committee is required to submit their final report to parliament no later than Friday, October 2, 2026. Since 2021, Health Canada has been working with provinces and territories to support health system readiness by sharing best practices, strengthening collaboration and deepening the work with experts and stakeholders on needed supports to allow for the safe implementation of medical assistance in dying in Canada. In addition, Health Canada has supported the development of guidance and training for practitioners by: Funding the development of clinical practice guidelines to support health care practitioners in assessing requests for medical assistance in dying where a mental illness is the sole underlying grievous and irremediable condition. These guidelines will address issues related to suicidality and irremediability of mental disorders and are being done by the Canadian Psychiatric Association. The work is expected to be completed by spring 2026. Funding the Canadian Association of Medical Assistance in Dying Assessors and Providers to develop and deliver the Canadian Medical Assistance in Dying Curriculum, an accredited bilingual curriculum for clinicians. The curriculum includes modules on complex medical assistance in dying scenarios and provides the main clinical practice considerations involved in medical assistance in dying for persons with mental illness. Publishing the Model Practice Standard for Medical Assistance in Dying and accompanying Advice to the Profession document, developed by an expert task group of clinicians. Protecting vulnerable persons, including those in crisis or experiencing mental illness, is a priority for our Government. Through Canada’s first National Suicide Prevention Action Plan, we are coordinating efforts with provinces, territories, Indigenous partners, and experts to reduce risk and save lives. A cornerstone of this work is 9-8-8, Canada’s Suicide Crisis Helpline. It is free, confidential, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in English and French, by voice and text. Between November 2023 and July 2025, 9-8-8 answered over 600,000 calls and texts. It is a lifeline for people in crisis, and we are committed to strengthening it.