Oppose MAID for Mental Illness

AI summary

Petitioners assert that medical assistance in dying (MAID) will be extended to people with mental illness on March 17, 2027 unless Parliament intervenes, and they say priority should be placed on strengthening mental-health supports rather than expanding MAID. They call for vulnerable Canadians to receive suicide-prevention services instead of MAID, argue MAID risks normalizing suicide, and note that Bill C-218 would exclude mental disorders as a basis for MAID. The petition asks the government to support Bill C-218 to stop the expansion; no government response is included in the petition.

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

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons Whereas: Medical assistance in dying will expand to Canadians with mental illness on March 17, 2027, unless Parliament intervenes; Parliament considers it a priority to ensure that supports are in place for the mental health of everyone in Canada; Vulnerable Canadians must be given suicide prevention instead of suicide assistance; Medical assistance in dying risks normalizing suicide as a solution for those suffering from mental illness; Canada should focus on increasing mental health supports and improving access to these supports instead of offering medical assistance in dying for those with mental illness; Bill C-218 seeks to provide that a mental disorder is not a grievous and irremediable medical condition for which a person could receive medical assistance in dying; Therefore we, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: Support Bill C-218 and stop the expansion of medical assistance in dying to those with mental illness.

Government response

No government response is available yet.