{"id":18098,"date":"2026-03-16T08:15:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T12:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/?p=18098"},"modified":"2026-03-16T08:20:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T12:20:20","slug":"pr-march-16-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/pr-march-16-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"One year before the end of the MAiD exclusion for mental illness in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"18098\" class=\"elementor elementor-18098 elementor-18078\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c1a88c0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c1a88c0\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-80b7786\" data-id=\"80b7786\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-baecb27 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"baecb27\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Two concrete ways to block this controversial expansion\n\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2f65a14 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2f65a14\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0be43be\" data-id=\"0be43be\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-631070b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"631070b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-42f8d40\" data-id=\"42f8d40\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c1d7bb0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c1d7bb0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gc.ca\/eng\/cj-jp\/ad-am\/bk-di.html\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/sites\/vivredignite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2027-EN-web.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-18100\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/sites\/vivredignite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2027-EN-web.png 1020w, https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/sites\/vivredignite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2027-EN-web-300x137.png 300w, https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/sites\/vivredignite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2027-EN-web-768x352.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Screenshot from the website of the Canadian Department of Justice.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13347f9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"13347f9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\"><b><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">Montreal, March\n16, 2026<\/span><\/b><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-ansi-language:EN-CA\"> \u2013 If nothing is done before March 17th, 2027, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/health-canada\/services\/health-services-benefits\/medical-assistance-dying\/legislation-canada.html\">that\ndate will mark the moment when persons whose mental illness is their sole underlying\nmedical condition will be able to access Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in\nCanada<\/a>. These individuals would still have to meet the other legal\ncriteria, but no additional safeguards are currently planned. The Living with\nDignity citizen network hopes that federal parliamentarians will join the clear\nconsensus established in Quebec, which maintains the exclusion of mental\ndisorders in its law (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca\/fr\/document\/lc\/s-32.0001?langCont=en#se:26\">Article\n26<\/a>).<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align:justify\">\n\n<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">Two concrete avenues are emerging to block this\nexpansion:<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8e51695 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8e51695\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-890e2f6\" data-id=\"890e2f6\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-abc3f7a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"abc3f7a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Bill C-218<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6409f69 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6409f69\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4313135\" data-id=\"4313135\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cc6abea elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cc6abea\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">This private\nmember\u2019s bill (introduced on a non-partisan basis by Conservative MP Tamara\nJansen) seeks to amend the Criminal Code to specify that \u201ca mental disorder is\nnot a grievous and irremediable medical condition for which a person could\nreceive medical assistance in dying.\u201d<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">During the last\nsimilar attempt (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.parl.ca\/legisinfo\/en\/bill\/44-1\/c-314\">Bill\nC-314<\/a>) in 2023, the vote was close: 150 to 167. All members of the\nConservative Party, the New Democratic Party, and the Green Party supported it,\nalong with eight Liberal MPs. Surprisingly, the Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois opposed it,\npositioning itself against the Quebec consensus and the <i>Act Respecting\nEnd-of-Life Care<\/i>.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\">\n\n\n\n<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.parl.ca\/legisinfo\/en\/bill\/45-1\/c-218\">Bill C-218<\/a> is\ncurrently making its way through the House of Commons and remains the most\nreliable way to block the end of the exclusion for mental illness.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2d4c2e8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2d4c2e8\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-98fc556\" data-id=\"98fc556\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e00fe61 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e00fe61\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD)<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b37b49d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b37b49d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0ef8847\" data-id=\"0ef8847\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a9df24 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a9df24\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align:justify\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.parl.ca\/committees\/en\/AMAD\">This committee<\/a>, composed of\n10 Members of Parliament and five senators, has been formed for a third time.\nAfter its first meeting last Tuesday, it must now review eligibility and assess\nthe country\u2019s readiness for access to MAiD when a person\u2019s sole underlying\nmedical condition is a mental illness.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align:justify\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">In 2024, it was\nthis committee that recommended postponing the removal of the MAiD exclusion\nfor mental illness.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-ansi-language:EN-CA\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.parl.ca\/documentviewer\/en\/44-1\/AMAD\/report-3\/page-69\">The\nreasons cited at the time were numerous<\/a>, including:<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><ul style=\"margin-top:0cm\" type=\"disc\">\n <li><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">The\n     issue of irremediability: \u201c&#8230;difficult, if not impossible, to <br>accurately\n     predict the long-term prognosis of a person with <br>a mental disorder\u201d.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/li>\n <li><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">The\n     difficulty of distinguishing such MAiD requests from suicidality.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/li>\n <li><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">The\n     lack of professional consensus.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/li>\n <li><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">The\n     impact on protecting vulnerable persons.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><p style=\"text-align:justify\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">Since these\nreasons remain just as relevant in 2026 and in the years to come, the Living\nwith Dignity citizen network hopes that Bill C-218 and the work of the AMAD\ncommittee will lead to the permanent rejection of this highly controversial\nexpansion of MAiD access in Canada.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align:justify\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">Such a decision\nwould also follow <a href=\"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/pr-march-27-2025\/\">an\nimportant recommendation from the latest report on Canada prepared by the\nUnited Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities<\/a>, which\ncalls on Canada to \u201crepeal Track 2 Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD),\nincluding the 2027 commencement of Track 2 MAiD for persons whose \u201csole\nunderlying medical condition is a mental illness\u201d.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align:justify\">\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p><p align=\"center\" style=\"text-align:center\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">\u2014 30 \u2014<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6da9a16 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6da9a16\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4f5b653\" data-id=\"4f5b653\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9f245fe elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9f245fe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">For interviews or further information:<\/span><\/b><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p>\n\n<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre<br>\nCoordinator<br>\nLiving with Dignity citizen network<br>\n<a href=\"mailto:info@vivredignite.org\">info@vivredignite.org<\/a><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two concrete ways to block this controversial expansion<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tScreenshot from the website of the Canadian Department of Justice.<br \/>\nMontreal, March<br \/>\n16, 2026 \u2013 If nothing is done &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[290],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18098"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18104,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18098\/revisions\/18104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}