What will Canada’s new legislation do about assisted suicide for people with mental illness?

The legislation will prohibit medically assisted suicide when mental illness is the person’s only underlying medical condition. Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the government decided not to expand assisted-dying eligibility in that way.

Why did Canada decide not to expand assisted dying to people with only mental illness?

The government said it wanted to ensure the mental-health system was prepared, while an advisory panel warned that inadequate community support could lead suffering patients to choose death because they could not access care. Experts also disagree about whether mental illness can ever be deemed incurable.

When was Canada’s assisted-dying policy expanded, and when was access for mental illness supposed to begin?

Canada extended assisted-dying eligibility to people with serious and incurable illnesses in 2021, even when death was not reasonably foreseeable. Access for people whose only condition was mental illness was scheduled to begin in March after earlier plans for broader access were delayed by three years.

Canada will not allow assisted suicide for those with only mental illness

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Summary

Canada will prohibit medically assisted suicide for people whose only underlying condition is mental illness. Justice Minister Sean Fraser announced the Liberal government’s plan Wednesday, before the exclusion was set to expire in March. Canada expanded assisted-dying eligibility in 2021, but delayed broader access amid concerns about mental-health system capacity. An advisory panel urged the government not to proceed.

Key Facts

Canada legalized assisted dying for people at the end of life in 2016 and expanded eligibility to serious and incurable illnesses in 2021.
The government initially planned to allow assisted death regardless of condition by 2024, then delayed that change by three years.
The advisory panel cited limited community mental-health support and disagreement among experts over whether mental illness can be considered incurable.
Some medical professionals have recently called for a review of assisted-dying policy, including the process used to approve patients.

By AFP

Published Oct 8, 2026 10:22 am KST

Canada Minister of Justice Sean Fraser, left, and Minister of Health Marjorie Michel listen to questions during a media availability to outline next steps in the federal government's medical assistance in dying laws, in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Oct. 7. AP-Yonhap

MONTREAL — Canada will not allow medically assisted suicide for people whose only condition is mental illness, the justice minister said Wednesday, seeking to close debate on one of the country's most controversial healthcare issues.

Canada legalized assisted dying for those at the end of life in 2016.

The right was extended to those suffering from serious and incurable illnesses in 2021, even if death was not "reasonably foreseeable."

Initially, Canada was to allow assisted death regardless of condition by 2024, but that date was pushed back three years, with the government saying it wanted to make sure that the already overwhelmed mental health system was ready.

Without government action, people exclusively suffering from a mental illness would have had access to assisted suicide in March, when the exclusion was set to expire.

But Justice Minister Sean Fraser told reporters on Wednesday that Canada's Liberal government plans to pass legislation that will prohibit assisted suicide for people whose only underlying medical condition is mental illness.

"Canada has made a decision not to move forward with the expansion (of assisted suicide)," Fraser said.

"While there is not a perfect consensus on this issue, we believe this is the correct approach."

Fraser's announcement follows recommendations from an advisory panel which in June urged the government not to expand assisted suicide rights.

That panel raised concern about the lack of mental health support in communities across the country, and the risk that suffering patients would choose death because they could not access care.

The committee also highlighted debate among mental health experts as to whether mental illness could ever be deemed incurable.

A majority of Canadians support the right to assisted suicide, but in recent months some medical professionals have called for a review of the policy, including how patients receive approval to end their lives.

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