Exclude mental illness from MAID

AI summary

Petitioners ask Parliament to pass Bill C-218 to bar MAID when the sole condition is mental illness and to fund mental-health services. The government responds that people whose only condition is mental illness are currently ineligible for MAID, notes a temporary exclusion until March 2027, and says it is reviewing a committee recommendation.

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

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled According to Canadian Mental Health Association, in any given year one in five people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness; Approximately 20% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder; Suicide is the second leading cause of death among age 15-34; Only one out of five children receive appropriate mental health services; Mental illness changes a person's thinking and impairs sober decision making; Research has found that 46% of people who die by suicide had a known mental health condition; Mental illness can be treated and recover, leading to a meaningful and productive life; and For recovery, mental health patients need a message of hope, not an option of death. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to support Bill C-218 to exclude mental illness or disorder from MAID and to invest resources to mental health services.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Health Signed by Maggie Chi An individual whose sole underlying condition is mental illness is not currently eligible for medical assistance in dying in Canada. Only individuals with a grievous and irremediable medical 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. The 2021 amendment to the Criminal Code to permit medical assistance in dying for individuals suffering from grievous and irremediable medical conditions whose death was not reasonably foreseeable included a temporary exclusion to exempt individuals whose sole underlying condition was a grievous and irremediable mental illness. This exclusion has been extended twice by Parliament, and is currently scheduled to lift in March 2027. In Spring 2026, a special joint Parliamentary committee was established to study whether provincial and territorial health systems were prepared for the temporary exclusion to lift. The Committee presented its final report to Parliament on June 17, 2026. The committee’s sole recommendation was that “the Government of Canada amend the Criminal Code to indefinitely exclude persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness from eligibility for medical assistance in dying”. The report can be found at: https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/45-1/AMAD/report-1/. Our Government is reviewing the report’s findings and recommendation as we consider next steps, and we will ensure that our actions are guided by protecting vulnerable persons, including those in crisis or experiencing mental illness.