MAID and Mental Illness

AI summary

Petitioners say the Government intends to expand eligibility for medical assistance in dying (MAID) in 2027 to include people whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness. They argue that mental illness can be treatable and recovery possible, and that expanding MAID risks offering assisted death to vulnerable Canadians who might recover with appropriate treatment and supports. The petition urges the Government to support and pass Bill C-218 (the Right to Recover Act) to ensure mental illness alone would not qualify as a grievous and irremediable condition for MAID.

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

Official petition

PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA Whereas: The Government of Canada intends to expand eligibility for medical assistance in dying (MAID) in 2027 to individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness; Mental illness is treatable, recovery is possible, and it can be difficult to predict when a mental illness is truly irremediable; Canadians suffering from mental illness should have timely access to appropriate treatment, support, and suicide prevention services; Expanding MAID to individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness risks offering assisted death to vulnerable Canadians who could recover with appropriate treatment and support; Canadians experiencing mental illness deserve a message of hope and recovery, rather than assisted death being presented as a response to their suffering; and Bill C-218, the Right to Recover Act, would amend the Criminal Code to ensure that mental illness alone is not considered a grievous and irremediable medical condition for the purposes of MAID. We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to support and pass Bill C- 218, the Right to Recover Act, to prevent the expansion of MAID to individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.

Government response

No government response is available yet.