Liberals introduce a bill to bar medical assistance in dying for mental illness alone

Parliament, Ottawa

The bill must pass both the House of Commons and the Senate before Mar 17, when people whose only condition is a mental illness would become eligible for MAID under current law.

"When I hear that there is a lack of consensus within the medical community about the irremediable nature of certain mental illnesses, that gives me real cause for concern."

— Justice Minister Sean Fraser, Oct 7

Advance request safeguards

• Two medical practitioners must confirm eligibility
• Request prepared with a doctor or nurse practitioner
• Person must be in a state of irreversible decline
• No MAID if the person shows refusal or resistance

The bill also lets people at risk of losing the capacity to consent, such as with dementia or ALS, make an advance request for an assisted death, with safeguards.

And us?

Whether advance requests are available depends on the province: only Quebec's law permits them, and Alberta has passed legislation that would prohibit them. Ottawa will not force provinces to allow them.