The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) is expressing its support for the federal government’s promise to halt plans for the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to people whose only condition is mental illness.
The decision came after MPs voted down a private member’s bill, Bill C-218, last Thursday. Member of Parliament Tamara Jansen introduced the bill, which would have removed the provisions set to allow MAiD for mental illness alone in March 2027 in the House of Commons on June 20, 2025.
Currently MAiD for mental illness alone was provisionally set to become available by March 2027, however, at a press conference, Justice Minister Sean Fraser and Health Minister Marjorie Michel announced that the government will introduce a bill to cancel plans before the deadline.
“To be clear: our government has decided not to proceed with expanding MAID eligibility to include mental illness as a sole underlying condition,” Fraser said.
He also said that the government had concluded that Canada’s health system was not able to “safely and consistently apply MAiD safeguards for individuals suffering solely from psychiatric conditions.” This conclusion, he said, came from evidence and discussions with experts across the country. He also said that determining “irremediability in mental disorders” comes with special challenges that make it different from physical or terminal conditions,” he said.
In addition, he announced the Canadian government instead would aim to strengthen mental health care, expanding suicide prevention services and supporting people in distress.
Meanwhile, Michel promised to strengthen community-based mental health programmes, and improve rapid access to psychiatric care and therapy. She also said that she would also increase crisis intervention and suicide prevention resources, including the national 988 lifeline.
Fraser also announced that advanced requests would be available for people diagnosed with a serious and irremediable illness who may lose the capacity to consent in the future.
The EFC, while expressing gratitude for this news, expressed concern that the promised bill would amend the Criminal Code, allowing advanced requests for MAiD in some areas. The group said it has championed the call for an indefinite delay of MAiD for mental illness and welcomed the government’s position.
“At the same time, we have grave concerns about allowing advance requests for MAiD. The time is short,” the statement said.
