Health Minister Mark Holland said the Canadian government would not be moving forward with medical assistance in dying (MAiD) for people with mental illnesses for now because of a committee report recommending against it. “Arif (Virani) and I and are deeply appreciative of the time they’ve taken,” said Holland at a Monday press scrum. “We have at the same time been doing our own engagement with stakeholders and with provinces and territories and can say that we agree with the conclusion that the committee has come to.” .The conclusion the committee reached is the system is not ready and more time is required. In the meantime, Holland said he will be tabling a parliamentary response in the coming days. While he could not say when, he said it would be soon. This response was in alignment with the Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec governments saying they were not ready. “This is in comportment with the joint committee’s report and frankly with conversations I’ve been having with other health ministers across the country and with the Canadian Mental Health Association,” he said. The Canadian government introduced Bill C-39 in February to delay MAiD’s expansion to Canadians whose sole underlying condition was a mental disorder.READ MORE: Cabinet introduces bill to delay expanding MAiD“The safety of Canadians must come first, which is why we are taking additional time to get this right,” said former justice minister and attorney general David Lametti. Under the MAiD law at the time, anyone suffering from a mental illness who met all eligibility criteria would have been eligible that March. But the legislation introduced by Lametti, former health minister Jean-Yves Duclos, and former mental health and addictions minister Carolyn Bennett extended the temporary exclusion period until March 17, 2024.A private member’s bill to prevent people with mental illnesses from receiving MAiD deaths was defeated by a vote of 167 to 150 during second reading in Parliament in October.READ MORE: Conservatives, NDP, Greens unite behind failed bill to stop MAiD for mentally illBill C-314 was introduced by Conservative MP Ed Fast (Abbotsford, BC) in February. All 117 Conservative MPs, 25 New Democrats, two Greens, one Independent and eight Liberals voted yes for Bill C-314. No Bloc Quebecois MPs voted for it.
