Parliament Can Say ‘No’ to MAID for Mental Illness

Commentary

By age 40, around half of Canadians will suffer or have suffered from mental illness, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. The other half will have someone close to them who has.

Canada’s MAID (medical assistance in dying) law is scheduled to expand to make people who suffer solely from mental illness eligible for MAID on March 17, 2027. While Canada’s approach to mental illness importantly focuses on mental health care, the expansion of MAID threatens to significantly alter that approach.

On Jan. 21, Canadians took “a moment for mental health” as part of Bell Let’s Talk Day. Bell Let’s Talk encourages Canadians to take moments to care for yourself, take moments to reach out to loved ones, and take moments for your community.

Shortly prior, on Jan. 16, the federal government announced that it would continue supporting the operations of 9-8-8, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, by investing up to $120 million over the next two years. Health Minister Marjorie Michel noted that “protecting the mental health and well-being of Canadians is a priority for our government as there is no health without mental health and when Canadians are feeling good, our country is stronger.”

This has increasingly been Canada’s and Canadians’ attitude towards mental health, and indeed ought to be. Mental health challenges are widespread. A 2023 Angus Reid poll found that one in three Canadians sought mental health support in the previous year. Nearly 10 percent more said they needed help but did not seek access to it. And over 40 percent of those who did seek help say they faced barriers in getting the help they needed.

But after years of progress on suicide prevention and mental health supports, Canada’s approach seems to be changing. If Canada expands euthanasia to those with mental illness, it will be opening up a new response for those suffering from mental illness. The message will shift from “suicide prevention for all” to “suicide prevention for some.”

Despite MAiD for mental illness not yet being legal, we’ve already seen how this can play out. Kiano Vafeian, a 26-year-old Ontario man struggled with depression, as well as diabetes and declining vision. Despite having no major medical condition and his own doctors describing him as “young and healthy,” Vafeian died by MAID on Dec. 30, 2025. His mother mourned his death, writing in a Facebook post: “No compassion. No protection. No effort to save a life, only to end it. This is not healthcare. This is a failure of ethics, accountability, and humanity.”

But it’s not only people who want MAID that will be impacted. In 2023, a B.C. woman went to the hospital with suicidal thoughts, looking for help. A staff member offered her MAID.

Offering euthanasia for those suffering from mental illness legitimizes suicide as a form of “treatment”—a “solution” to suffering. This isn’t what Canadians want.

A 2025 ResearchCo poll found that 48 percent of Canadians moderately or strongly disagree with allowing MAID for mental illness, with 11 percent unsure. In 2023, 55 percent of Canadians worried that MAID will be a replacement for adequate social services—a fear that has proven justified over the last few years and will be no less true with MAID for mental illness.

Problems with offering MAiD for mental illness, including questions about irremediability, informed consent, and suicidality, remain unresolved. These, among other issues, led the previous government to delay the expansion of MAID for mental illness. But a delay is not enough.

Canada needs to continue the message of Bell Let’s Talk Day and other mental health initiatives and promote suicide prevention and life-affirming care.

Parliament still has an opportunity to oppose MAID for mental illness and remain consistent in their support for mental health care and suicide prevention. Bill C-218, a private members’ bill, is scheduled to be debated and voted on in the next couple months. The bill would repeal the upcoming expansion of MAID for mental illness.

Canadian politicians have another opportunity to say that Canada will refuse to fail those who are suffering by offering them MAID and instead ensure that mental health care remains a priority.

Daniel Zekveld is a Policy Analyst with the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.