Canada Halts Plan to Allow Medically Assisted Death for the Mentally Ill - The New York Times

PoliticsJustice Minister Sean Fraser says the Liberal government will announce its planned path forward for medical assistance in dying on Wednesday. Committee recommended against expanding MAID to those solely suffering from mental illnessDarren Major · CBC News · Posted: Oct 06, 2026 4:04 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 6Listen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. Minister of Justice Sean Fraser, seen last month, says the government's plan for assisted dying in Canada will be announced on Wednesday. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)Justice Minister Sean Fraser says the Liberal government will announce its planned path forward for medical assistance in dying on Wednesday. The government has yet to say how it will proceed after a special parliamentary committee released a report in June recommending that the federal government "indefinitely exclude" people whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness from applying for MAID.

(ZENIT News / Otawwa, 10.11.2026).- Canada will not extend its assisted-dying program to people whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness, Justice Minister Sean Fraser announced on October 7, bringing an end to years of uncertainty over whether the country would permit medically assisted death for people who are not terminally ill but are experiencing psychiatric suffering. Speaking to reporters in the House of Commons, Fraser acknowledged that the issue had not produced complete agreement but said the government believed maintaining the current restriction was the right decision. The forthcoming legislation is expected to extend the exclusion indefinitely, replacing a series of temporary delays with a more lasting policy.