The Canadian government will not expand its broadly popular assisted suicide program for individuals suffering solely from a mental illness, Minister of Justice Sean Fraser said on Oct. 7.
The announcement brings an end to several years of debate and speculation regarding whether the country would allow doctors to help kill individuals who are suffering from mental health issues but who are not terminally or seriously ill.
Fraser told media at the Canadian House of Commons on Oct. 7 that the country would not move forward with the proposed expansion.
"While there is not a perfect consensus on this issue, we believe this is the correct approach at this particular time," he told media.
Euthanasia has become a leading cause of death in Canada since it was legalized roughly a decade ago. About 100,000 Canadians have died by the country's medical assistance in dying (MAID) program since 2016.
The country's euthanasia program is one of the most permissive in the world. In 2023 euthanasia accounted for roughly 1 out of every 20 deaths there.
The MAID program is nominally limited to those suffering from what the government describes as a "grievous and irremediable medical condition," though the condition need not be fatal or terminal.
The government had previously debated expanding the program to those suffering from mental health issues, though postponed the question in 2024 after a parliamentary report said the nation was "not ready" for the expansion.
Fraser said on Wednesday that upcoming legislation would indefinitely extend the ban on mental health-related euthanasia.
A 2025 report from Cardus Health found that vulnerable demographics were obtaining suicide assistance at disproportionately high rates in Canada. Among those groups were individuals suffering from mental illness.
Assisted suicide has expanded at the regional level in the country. In 2024, for instance, the provincial government of Quebec said it would begin allowing assisted suicide in the form of "advance requests," where individuals can be euthanized at a time when they are unable to give consent so long as they agreed to the procedure at some point in the past.
In 2024, meanwhile, a watchdog report found that hundreds of violations of the country's euthanasia rules had gone unreported to law enforcement.
