Committee recommends keeping mental illness excluded from MAID

A special parliamentary committee has recommended that the federal government keep people whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness excluded from medical assistance in dying (MAID). The report, tabled in the House of Commons on Wednesday, urges Ottawa to amend the Criminal Code to make that exclusion indefinite. The 98page report was released as Canada marks 10 years since MAID was legalized. It reviews whether the health system, regulatory framework and clinical safeguards are ready for an expansion of eligibility to include mental disorders. The committee said testimony pointed to a strong need for better and more equitable access to mental health services. The government has already delayed a decision on expanding MAID for mental illness twice, and the current legal change is set to take effect in March 2027 unless Parliament acts. Justice Minister Sean Fraser is expected to review the report over the coming weeks before responding by the July 11 deadline.