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441-01120 (Justice)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:

  • Medical assistance in dying will expand to Canadians with mental illness on March 17, 2023, unless Parliament intervenes;

  • Parliament considers it a priority to ensure that supports are in place for the mental health of everyone in Canada;

  • Vulnerable Canadians must be given suicide prevention instead of suicide assistance;

  • Medical assistance in dying risks normalizing suicide as a solution for those suffering from mental illness; and

  • Canada should focus on increasing mental health supports and improving access to these supports instead of offering medical assistance in dying for those with mental illness.

Therefore we, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:

  • Stop the expansion of medical assistance in dying to those with mental illness.

Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Parliamentary Secretary Gary Anandasangaree

Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is a complex and deeply personal matter. In 2021, Parliament passed former Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), which responds to the September 2019 Superior Court of Quebec ruling in Truchon,which struck down the eligibility criterion of “reasonably foreseeable natural death” from the Criminal Code MAID regime.

The Government recognizes the difficult issues that arise when a mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition for a MAID request. Former Bill C-7, as adopted, excludes mental illness, on its own, as an eligible medical condition until March 2023. This temporary exclusion provides time for a panel of experts to examine the issue and recommend protocols, guidance and safeguards to apply to requests for MAID by persons who have a mental illness. The Expert Panel on MAID and Mental Illness was launched to undertake this review, and tabled its final report on May 13, 2022. Former Bill C-7 also required the establishment of a joint Parliamentary Committee to study this issue and other important issues concerning MAID. The Special Joint Committee on MAID (AMAD) undertook this study and tabled its final report on February 15, 2023. The Government of Canada is reviewing the final report and will table a Government Response, as required, in the coming months.

On February 2, 2023, the Minister of Justice introduced Bill C-39, An Act to amend An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), which proposes to extend the MAID mental illness exclusion for one year, until March 17, 2024. This extension would allow more time for the dissemination and uptake of key resources to the medical and nursing communities, and for the Government to meaningfully consider AMAD’s final report which provides further insight in this area.

The Government continues to consider ways to ensure that our MAID laws reflect our evolving understanding of Canadians’ needs, support autonomy and freedom of choice, and protect those who may be vulnerable.

Presented to the House of Commons
Mel Arnold (North Okanagan—Shuswap)
February 7, 2023 (Petition No. 441-01120)
Government response tabled
March 23, 2023
Photo - Mel Arnold
North Okanagan—Shuswap
Conservative Caucus
British Columbia

213 signatures

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.