Canada suspends plans to extend its assisted‑dying law to people whose only condition is mental illness.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the government will put the proposal on hold indefinitely while experts debate who would be eligible and how to safeguard vulnerable patients.
The pause follows a parliamentary panel that earlier this year advised against broadening licensed assisted dying, and it echoes concerns from disability advocacy groups about the possibility of non‑requested access for people with disabilities.
Fraser noted that while consensus is imperfect, the current approach he believes is the correct one. He added that a new law will be introduced soon to suspend the expansion and to allow patients with incurable conditions that are not immediately life‑threatening to make advanced requests for assisted dying, a provision that is not yet legal in Canada.
The decision will mean that, contrary to earlier plans, Canadians who would be eligible for assisted dying solely because of a psychiatric diagnosis will not have that option until after March 2027. A federal court case challenging the earlier delay remains pending.
Medically assisted dying was first legalized in 2016 for those with terminal illnesses. It was expanded in 2021 to include people with incurable but non‑imminent deaths, known as “track two” under the Canadian code. The debate around extending the rollout to psychiatric patients has highlighted tensions between constitutional rights, medical feasibility and ethical safeguards.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC’s Action Line.
In Canada, support can be found at the Suicide Crisis Helpline by dialling 988.
