OTTAWA — A joint parliamentary committee recommended an indefinite exclusion for individuals whose sole medical condition is a mental illness from eligibility for medical assistance in dying in Canada. The joint House and Senate committee on Medical Assistance in Dying released its 98-page report on Wednesday, containing a single recommendation regarding the eligibility criteria.

The Canadian government must respond to the committee report by July 11. Canada previously delayed eligibility for medical assistance in dying for individuals suffering solely from mental illness in 2023, and subsequently delayed it again until March 17, 2027. The government directed a parliamentary committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the expansion plans, and Prime Minister Mark Carney stated he would wait for the committee report before deciding on next steps. The prime minister has not publicly stated a position on the committee's recommendation.

The committee held hearings that included testimony from medical experts, advocates, and representatives from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Further delays to the medical assistance in dying expansion would require new legislation. Conservative MP Tamara Jansen characterized moving forward with the expansion as reckless. "Moving forward with this expansion is reckless and dangerous." Jansen stated.

Dissenting senators published a report asserting the committee process was flawed and favored testimony from opponents of the expansion. Senator Kristopher Wells said that the quality of the report was compromised. "When you have bad inputs, you have bad outputs. That is why we're calling into question the reliability and the credibility of the report and the recommendation." Wells said. Dissenting senators also argued that the Supreme Court should determine the legality of expanding medical assistance in dying to cover mental illness.

University of Toronto professor Sonu Gaind said that assessors cannot reliably determine when a mental illness will not improve. "Assessors cannot predict when a mental illness won't improve, in fact flipping a coin would be more accurate." Gaind stated. Claire Brousseau, a 49-year-old woman from Toronto diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD, filed a legal challenge seeking access to medical assistance in dying. Canada first permitted medically assisted dying for terminally ill adults with a reasonably foreseeable death in 2016 following a Supreme Court ruling. The policy was expanded in 2019 to include individuals with chronic illnesses whose natural death is not imminent.

In 2024, medical assistance in dying accounted for approximately 5% of all deaths in Canada. Approximately 96% of these requests were granted to individuals with a foreseeable death, primarily terminal cancer patients. About 4% of 2024 requests were granted to individuals with a grievous and irremediable medical condition whose death was not imminent. A poll indicates that 77% of Canadians support medical assistance in dying, while 42% support extending it to individuals whose sole condition is a mental illness.