Canada to further delay assisted dying based solely on mental illness

Supporters of assisted dying say it’s a matter of personal autonomy. (representative)

People suffering solely from mental illness will be excluded from seeking assisted dying for an unspecified period of time, the Canadian government said on Monday, after a parliamentary committee concluded that Canada’s health care system is not ready.

Health Minister Mark Holland told reporters in Ottawa that the Liberal government will soon introduce legislation that will include details such as the delay.

“We agree with the joint committee’s conclusion that more time is needed and we will discuss in the coming days how long we think it is needed,” Health Minister Mark Holland told reporters in Ottawa.

Canada legalized assisted dying for terminally ill patients in 2016 and in 2021 expanded it to people with incurable but not terminal illnesses. However, the government passed legislation to temporarily exclude people who only suffer from mental illness from receiving assisted dying – a rule that was extended for a year in 2023. The exclusion expires on March 17.

“We need more time,” Holland said. “While courses exist and guidelines are in place, people have not had enough time to be trained and provinces and territories have said their systems are not ready and need more time.”

Holland said the March 17 timetable was not an obstacle, but the government needed to move quickly to extend the exclusion period again.

Opposition parties are calling for an indefinite suspension of the inclusion of mental illness cases in Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) law, saying Canada’s health care system is not ready for the expansion, CBC News reports.

Removing the mental illness exclusion would make Canada one of only six countries where people who suffer solely from a mental illness and are not close to dying from natural causes can seek help from a doctor to help them die.

Supporters of assisted dying say it’s a matter of personal autonomy.

Some psychiatrists say it’s impossible to determine whether a mental illness is “incurable.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)