Reverse MAID eligibility for mental illness
Petitioners ask Parliament to pass Bill C-218 to reverse MAID eligibility for those whose sole condition is mental illness. The government responds it is reviewing a report and keeps a temporary exclusion until March 2027.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would remove MAID eligibility for people whose only condition is mental illness, preventing potentially premature deaths where symptoms may be treatable or fluctuate.
- It prioritizes expanding access to mental health treatment and supports before allowing MAID for this population.
- It reduces risk to vulnerable people when treatment and supports are not readily available across jurisdictions.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- It restricts autonomy by denying MAID to mentally ill people who may meet criteria of grievous and irremediable suffering.
- It may prolong intolerable suffering for those whose mental illness is treatment-resistant and for whom other options are exhausted.
- A blanket reversal could ignore individual assessments; tighter safeguards or improved access might better balance protection and autonomy.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the House of Commons, WHEREAS Canadians with mental illness should be provided with treatment and support; Mental illness is complex and can include suicidal thoughts as a symptom; The lives of Canadians with mental illness will be at risk when they are eligible for medical assistance in dying (MAID) on the basis of mental illness alone, especially when treatment and support are not readily available. Therefore we, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to support Bill C-218 which would reverse the law extending eligibility for MAID to people with mental illness as their sole medical condition.
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.