Canada Halts Expansion of Assisted Dying to Those With Mental Illness

Canada says it will indefinitely suspend plans to expand its medically assisted dying law to people whose sole condition is mental illness, citing a lack of consensus on who would be eligible.

The move follows a parliamentary panel’s earlier recommendation that the expansion should not proceed, and it comes after a federal court remains poised to challenge the government’s decision to delay access for this group.

On Wednesday, Canada’s justice minister Sean Fraser stated, "While there is not a perfect consensus on this issue, we believe this is the correct approach". He added that plans to allow Canadians with mental illness to access assisted dying by March 2027 would be postponed indefinitely.

Fraser said a new bill would also introduce the possibility for patients with a progressing incurable illness to make an advance request for assisted dying, a provision that is not currently legal.

Since its 2016 legalization for people with terminal illnesses, medically assisted dying has encompassed a vast majority of cases. In 2021, it was expanded to those with incurable conditions whose death was not imminent, known in Canada as "track two" Maid. The expansion sparked controversy, with disability advocacy groups reporting that assisted dying was offered to people with disabilities without their explicit request.

Canada was initially set to enlarge the law to those whose sole condition was mental illness in 2023, but the expansion was delayed twice to allow more research into its impact and delivery.