Canadian government should ‘indefinitely exclude’ people with mental illness from MAID, committee recommends

A special parliamentary committee is recommending that the federal government “indefinitely exclude” people whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness from applying for medical assistance in dying (MAID).  

In a report tabled in the House of Commons Wednesday, the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD) recommended that the government “amend the Criminal Code” to add this exclusion.

The 98-page report — which comes on the 10-year anniversary of MAID being legalized in Canada — reviews whether the country is ready from a clinical, health systems and regulatory perspective based on expert testimony.

The report says that a common theme across testimony was the “pressing need for increased and more equitable access to adequate mental health services.”

In their conclusion, the committee points to a “divergence of perspectives” on whether Canada is ready to expand eligibility to MAID to those suffering with mental illness.

It also notes that these mixed views existed previously and were partly behind their 2024 decision to delay the expansion.

More to come