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Montreal, October 7, 2026 – Justice Minister Sean Fraser and Health Minister Marjorie Michel announced at noon today the Government of Canada’s intention to introduce a bill later this fall addressing two issues related to medical assistance in dying (MAID). A single bill would both block the planned expansion of access to MAID where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition AND amend the Criminal Code to allow advance requests for MAID. In response to this announcement, the Living with Dignity citizen network believes these two questions merit two separate bills.

Living with Dignity welcomes the federal government’s favourable response to the recommendation of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying to “amend the Criminal Code to indefinitely exclude from MAID eligibility persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.” At the same time, the network expresses deep concern over the federal government’s intention to allow advance requests for MAID “for adults diagnosed with a condition such as early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.”

Other groups and individuals are no doubt reacting in the opposite way: disappointed with respect to cases involving mental illness, and pleased with respect to advance requests. Opinions are just as divided among members of Parliament from all political parties, including the governing Liberals.

“The Canadian government is on the wrong track in including two fundamentally different issues in a single bill. All the more so since both questions engage the conscience of parliamentarians,” said Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre, Coordinator of Living with Dignity.

Bill C-218 defeated

The private member’s bill to block MAID for mental disorder (C-218) was defeated at the end of the day by a vote of 187 to 141 (For: Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens and two Liberals. Against: Liberals and Bloc Québécois members. One Liberal abstention). We would like to echo the words of Liberal minister Sean Fraser, who thanked Conservative MP Tamara Jansen for moving this cause forward with her bill. The reasons the government gave for not supporting C-218 (including the use of the term “mental disorder” rather than “mental illness”) seem partisan to us, since the bill could easily have been amended.

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For interviews or further information:

Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre
Coordinator
Living with Dignity citizen network
info@vivredignite.org