Feds May Introduce Legislation Delaying MAiD Eligibility Expansion This Week

Minister of Justice David Lametti rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on June 2, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

The federal Liberal government is expected to introduce legislation as soon as Feb. 2 that would seek to delay the expansion of eligibility requirements for receiving medical assistance in dying (MAiD).

Canada’s law governing who is eligible for receiving assisted suicide is set to change on March 17 to include patients whose only medical conditions are mental illnesses.

However, Justice Minister David Lametti and Mental Health Minister Carolyn Bennett said in December 2022 that the government would seek to delay that expansion in order to ensure Canada’s health-care system is prepared for it.

Lametti previously said the Liberal government would be introducing legislation to delay the expansion “as quickly as possible” in the new Parliamentary session, but did not specify any dates.

“Discussions are ongoing,” Lametti said in reference to the expected legislation while speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Jan. 26. “I won’t negotiate in public.”

However, The Canadian Press reports that the legislation could be introduced to the House of Commons as soon as Feb. 2.

MAiD can currently only be accessed by patients who are suffering from a “grievous and irremediable medical condition,” which consists of having a severe physical illness, being in an irreversible “advanced state of decline,” and experiencing “unbearable suffering.”

Lametti previously said the federal government had “heard concerns” from experts questioning if Canada’s health-care system “will be ready to accommodate MAiD requests for persons whose sole medical condition is a mental illness.”

“This is a very complex question,” he said during a press conference on Dec. 15, 2022. “Many are concerned about how this will impact them and their loved ones.”

“We are not making this decision in a vacuum. We are listening to what we are hearing and being responsive to make sure we move forward in a prudent way. We know we need to get this right in order to protect those who are vulnerable.”