Alert level: yellow OPQ: Q-734 Session: 451 Suggested file name: Medical_Assistance_in_Dying_MAiD Tabled on: March 1, 2026 Agencies: Estimated questions: 3 Estimated responses: 2 Original filename: Q-734 - Medical Assistance in Dying, MAiD, Response from March 1, 2026.pdf External links / references: (none detected) Extracted PDF text preview: Q-734 Question With regard to the government’s medical assistance in dying policy and preparations to expand eligibility to individuals whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness by March 2027: (a) what internal committees, working groups or advisory bodies are currently responsible for developing the framework for this expansion; (b) what consultations have been conducted since 2023, including, for each, the (i) dates, (ii) participants, (iii) summaries of written submissions received; (c) what draft guidelines, risk analyses or policy options have been circulated within the government or to external stakeholders; (d) what plans exist for formal parliamentary scrutiny prior to 2027, and will those plans include the tabling of all analyses and documents so Parliament and the public can review the work undertaken; (e) what safeguards, assessment criteria and clinical protocols is the government considering, particularly given the lack of consensus regarding the irremediability of mental illness; (f) since 2023, has the government consulted independent experts, including human rights experts, regarding potential impacts on vulnerable Canadians; (g) what concerns, warnings or dissenting opinions have been raised by federal ocials, external experts or researchers; (h) what recommendations have been made to mitigate the risks identied in these analyses or consultations; (i) have any government analyses assessed the policy option of not proceeding with the expansion, in light of evidence that medical assistance in dying for mental illness cannot be implemented safely within an acceptable margin of risk to vulnerable Canadians; (j) how is the government working to protect the conscience rights of physicians who oppose medical assistance in dying, in light of recent Health Canada guidance encouraging clinicians to raise medical assistance in dying as an option; and (k) what complaints, reviews or appeals has the government received regarding medical assistance in dying delivery, and how it is addressing ongoing transparency concerns surrounding medical assistance in dying cases? Response This response was tabled in the House of Commons on January 26, 2026, as Sessional Paper 8555-451-734. Order/Address of the House of Commons Tabled on January 26, 2026 Sessional Paper 8555-451-734 House of Commons Health Canada Reply by: the Minister of Health Name of Signatory: Signed by Maggie Chi Reply Health Canada (a) what internal committees, working groups or advisory bodies are currently responsible for developing the framework for this expansion The federal legal framework for medical assistance in dying is set out in the Criminal Code and provides the minimum requirements for the lawful provision of medical assistance in dying. These include eligibility criteria to determine who may be able to receive medical assistance in dying and procedural safeguards to ensure medical assistance in dying is safely provided. Provincial and territorial governments are responsible for the organization, management and delivery of health services in their jurisdiction, including medical assistance in dying. Health Canada has been working with the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Assistant Deputy Minister Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying to support provincial and territorial health systems on the safe and appropriate delivery of medical assistance in dying. This includes discussions on issues related to medical assistance in dying eligibility for individuals whose sole underlying condition is mental illness. (b) what consultations have been conducted since 2023, including, for each, the (i) dates, (ii) participants, (iii) summaries of written submissions received The Parliamentary Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying was established by Orders of Reference from the House of Commons and the Senate during the 44 Parliament. Its work, including a list of all meetings, participants, Question number Q-734 Asked by Leslyn Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk) Date asked December 9, 2025 Presented by Kevin Lamoureux Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons th and written submissions received, is available online. Health Canada has also consulted extensively with Indigenous Peoples on end-of-life care, including medical assistance in dying. In 2024 Health Canada held 23 roundtables to hear Indigenous perspectives on end-of-life care, focused on medical assistance in dying, and also hosted an online survey. A “What We Heard” report summarizing the information collected through these engagement activities is planned for release in 2026. Health Canada also publishes an Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying, and published What we heard: National conversation on advance requests for medical assistance in dying - Canada.ca in October 2025. (c) what draft guidelines, risk analyses or policy options have been circulated within the government or to external stakeholders? Medical assistance in dying is a health service provided by provincial and territorial health systems as part of end-of-life or complex care within a federal legal framework for medical assistance in dying, which establishes robust eligibility criteria and stringent safeguards that that must be met for an individual to receive medical assistance in dying. The responsibility for regulation of clinical practice and the management of health services like medical assistance in dying rests with provincial and territorial ministries of health, as well as a number of provincial and territorial bodies, including provincial and territorial health professional regulatory bodies. To support provincial and territorial governments in the safe and appropriate delivery of medical assistance in dying, the federal Government has funded a number of projects, including: Providing funding for the Canadian Association of Medical Assistance in Dying Assessors and Providers to develop and deliver the Canadian Medical Assistance in Dying Curriculum, an accredited bilingual curriculum for clinicians. The curriculum includes modules on complex medical assistance in dying scenarios and provides the main clinical practice considerations involved in medical assistance in dying for persons with mental illness. Funding the development and publication of a Model Practice Standard for Medical Assistance in Dying and an accompanying Advice to the Profession document by the Medical Assistance in Dying Practice Standards Task Group. Funding for the Canadian Psychiatric Association to develop clinical practice guidelines to support health care practitioners in assessing requests for medical assistance in dying where a mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition. These guidelines will address issues related to suicidality and irremediability of mental disorders. The work is expected to be completed in early 2026. (d) what plans exist for formal parliamentary scrutiny prior to 2027, and will those plans include the tabling of all analyses and documents so Parliament and the public can review the work undertaken? Bill C-62 from the 44 Parliament included a provision that a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament undertake “a comprehensive review relating to the eligibility of persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness to receive medical assistance in dying” by February 2026. As committees are masters of their own domain, it will be responsible for publishing all analyses and documents it receives. (e) what safeguards, assessment criteria and clinical protocols is the government considering, particularly given the lack of consensus regarding the irremediability of mental illness The federal government has been working closely with its provincial and territorial partners through the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Assistant Deputy Minister Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying to support health system readiness for Medical Assistance in Dying though sharing