Canada halts expansion of assisted suicide to people with mental illness

Canada will not extend its medical assistance in dying program to people whose only underlying condition is a mental illness, Justice Minister Sean Fraser announced on October 7. Speaking to reporters in the House of Commons, Fraser stated that while the issue lacked complete agreement, the government decided to maintain the current restriction.

The government is preparing new legislation to replace previous temporary delays with a permanent policy that excludes those suffering solely from psychiatric conditions. This decision cancels a planned expansion that was originally scheduled to take effect in March 2027.

Under the current framework, eligibility for medical assistance in dying is generally tied to a serious and incurable medical condition, though the condition does not have to be terminal. Since the program was legalized in 2016, approximately 100,000 Canadians have died through the system. In 2023, assisted deaths accounted for about one in every 20 deaths in the country.