Exclude mental illness from MAID
Petitioners ask that Parliament pass Bill C-218 (Right to Recover Act) to amend the Criminal Code so that mental illness alone cannot be deemed a grievous and irremediable condition for medical assistance in dying.
Why we would sign this petition
- It prevents MAID being provided when mental illness is the sole condition, aiming to keep people alive who might recover with treatment.
- It follows the petitioners’ point that experts say irremediability of mental illness is currently unpredictable, so a legal prohibition is a precautionary approach.
- It would protect vulnerable people who lack timely, effective mental-health care from choosing MAID because supports and treatment were unavailable.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- It removes an avenue of legally regulated choice for people who consider their mental suffering intolerable and see MAID as a last resort.
- A categorical ban is a blunt response that may be less appropriate than strengthening assessment criteria, oversight, or access to care.
- The bill could leave people with persistent, treatment‑resistant suffering without a legal option, prompting arguments for narrower safeguards instead of prohibition.
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 In support of M.P. Tamara Jansen's Private Members Bill C-218, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying). Whereas: The Government of Canada intends to expand medical assistance in dying (MAID) to individuals whose only medical condition is a mental illness; Mental illness is treatable, recovery is possible, and experts agree it is currently impossible to predict when a mental illness is truly irremediable; Expanding MAID in this way risks suggesting that some lives are beyond saving, while many Canadians still struggle to access timely and effective mental health care; Public concern is high, with many Canadians believing that treatment options should come before MAID and fearing that vulnerable individuals may seek MAID due to lack of care; Families and communities are concerned that people who could recover through treatment and support may instead lose their lives; Bill C-218, the Right to Recover Act, would amend the Criminal Code to ensure that mental illness alone is not considered a grievous and irremediable condition for the purposes of MAID. Therefore, we, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Pass Bill C-218 to stop the expansion of MAID to those whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.
Government response
No government response is available yet.