A parliamentary committee in Canada is set to recommend that the planned expansion of medical assistance in dying, known as MAID, to people whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness be paused indefinitely. The recommendation marks another delay for a measure that has already been pushed back repeatedly, and it would keep one of the country's most contentious end-of-life questions on hold for the foreseeable future.
The move to make MAID available solely on the basis of a mental illness has been delayed since 2021 and had been due to take effect next March. Now the committee is poised to recommend that it be put off indefinitely rather than allowed to come into force on that timeline, leaving the expansion without a firm date for the first time in years.
At the heart of the recommendation is a judgment that the country is simply not ready. The committee concluded that the conditions for a safe and equitable implementation cannot presently be met. One source went further, saying that Canada's legal and health care systems are not prepared to handle a change of this magnitude as things currently stand.
The recommendation would not affect the existing program. As the rules stand now, a person can access MAID if they meet a set of strict conditions, including having a serious and incurable illness, disease or disability. The pause would apply specifically to the question of extending eligibility to those whose only condition is a mental illness.
The committee's stance follows a familiar pattern around the issue. The previous Liberal government had already pushed back the expansion after concerns were raised that the health care system was not ready for it. The new report points in the same direction, reinforcing the caution that has surrounded the proposal since it was first contemplated.
Whether the government adopts the recommendation now rests with the federal cabinet. Justice Minister Sean Fraser said he would take time to review the committee's report before announcing the government's decision, which is expected within the next few weeks. By the assessment offered, there is a good chance the government will follow the committee's advice and keep the expansion on hold.