Canada to indefinitely bar assisted dying for people whose sole
condition is mental illness
[October 08, 2026]
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canada’s Liberal government said Wednesday
it will indefinitely bar people whose sole medical condition is mental
illness from receiving medical assistance in dying, abandoning an
expansion that had been scheduled to take effect in March 2027.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser said there is no consensus in the medical
community on when mental illness can be considered irremediable and
cited concerns about inadequate access to mental health care.
“While there is not a perfect consensus on this issue, we believe this
is the correct approach at this particular time,” Fraser said.
A parliamentary committee recommended in June that people whose sole
underlying condition is mental illness be indefinitely excluded from
assisted dying.
Legislation to be introduced this fall would also change the Criminal
Code so health professionals could provide assisted dying on the basis
of an advance request made by someone diagnosed with a serious illness
who later loses the capacity to consent. Fraser said provinces would
decide whether to offer advance requests because they oversee healthcare
delivery.
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 That could produce different rules
across Canada. Quebec already allows advance requests for people
diagnosed with serious and incurable illnesses leading to
incapacity, such as Alzheimer’s disease, while Alberta passed
legislation in March that would bar advance requests for assisted
dying.
Canada legalized medical assistance in dying in
2016 and broadened eligibility in 2021 to include people with
serious and incurable conditions even when their deaths were not
reasonably foreseeable. People whose sole underlying condition is
mental illness remained temporarily excluded.
Canada has one of the world’s most permissive assisted-dying laws.
Unlike many countries, it allows people with serious but nonterminal
medical conditions to seek an assisted death.
The changes come amid continuing debate over protections for
vulnerable people.
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