MAID for Mental Illness Delayed, Again

Family caregivers with loved ones with mental illnesses can take a momentary sigh of relief—at least until 2027.

The Criminal Code contains strict criteria for eligibility concerning medical assistance in dying (MAID), explicitly excluding mental illness as a qualifying condition. However, changes were on the horizon. Originally scheduled for 2023, and then postponed to March 17, 2024, Canada's MAID laws were set to expand to permit individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness to qualify for MAID.

This expansion has been met with considerable debate, centering on the challenges of defining incurability, irreversibility, and the capacity to make such a significant decision. Faced with these complexities, at the last minute the law's expansion was delayed once more. The government cited that the healthcare system was not adequately prepared to implement these changes safely.

Now, the law is expected to undergo this significant amendment on March 17, 2027.