&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Canada's parliamentary panel opposes assisted death for 'mental illness' as nation emerges as euthanasia capital of the world")
A Canadian parliamentary committee has recommended that people whose only medical condition is a mental illness should not be eligible for medically assisted death, adding a new chapter to one of the country's most contentious healthcare debates.
The recommendation came from a 17 member panel that reviewed the issue and concluded that the current legal framework should be changed to prevent the planned expansion of eligibility.
While the committee's findings are not binding on Prime Minister Mark Carney's government, they are expected to carry significant weight as Ottawa considers its next steps on assisted dying laws.
The panel recommended "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."
Medical assistance in dying, commonly known as MAID, has been legal in Canada since 2016 for people nearing the end of life. In 2021, eligibility was broadened to include people suffering from serious and incurable illnesses even when death was not considered reasonably foreseeable.
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Canada had initially planned to extend assisted death access to people whose sole condition is a mental disorder by 2024. However, the government postponed the move until March 2027, citing concerns about whether the country's mental health system was prepared for such a change.
Under the current law, people suffering only from mental illness are set to become eligible in 2027. Following the committee's report, that timeline could now face further review.
Government data show that the number of assisted deaths rose by more than 30 per cent annually between 2019 and 2022. Although the rate of increase has slowed in recent years, the total number continued to rise, with 16,499 Canadians receiving medically assisted deaths in 2024, making 5.1% of total death in Canada.
According to official figures, most people who underwent assisted death had a reasonably foreseeable death, while around 4.5 per cent did not meet that standard.
The legal foundation for assisted dying was established in February 2015 when Canada's Supreme Court ruled that the country's ban on assisted suicide was unconstitutional. The decision took effect the following year, and assisted dying became fully available across the country on June 16, 2016.
