Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is a complex and deeply personal issue. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring our laws reflect Canadians' needs, protect those who may be vulnerable, and support autonomy and freedom of choice.
Under Canada's current MAID law, persons suffering solely from a mental illness who meet all eligibility criteria and for whom all applicable safeguards are met would be eligible for MAID as of March 17, 2023. However, today, the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, introduced legislation to extend the temporary exclusion of eligibility for MAID where a person's sole medical condition is a mental illness until March 17, 2024.
This proposed one-year extension would provide additional time to prepare for the safe and consistent assessment and provision of MAID where the person's sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness and allow time to consider the Special Joint Committee on MAID's final report, expected in February 2023.
In the meantime, the Government of Canada will continue to work closely with provinces, territories, and the healthcare community to finalize and disseminate key resources. The main purpose of this proposed extension is to allow more time to ensure MAID assessors and providers are ready to assess requests for MAID for persons suffering solely from a mental illness in a safe and consistent manner across Canada by the time the proposed extension is over.
