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Canada to hold vote on bill blocking MAID for mental illness
Legislators in Canada will vote on a bill next month that would prevent the inclusion of mental illness in the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program.
Canada legalized MAiD in 2016, and will allow MAiD for mental illness in beginning in 2027.
MAiD has already skyrocketed since its legalization, and has become a leading cause of death in Canada.
A bill to stop MAiD for mental illness has been introduced, and will have a vote in October.
Canada legalized MAiD in 2016, and it quickly became one of the world leaders in assisted suicide and euthanasia. The country is on track to reach 100,000 deaths from euthanasia and assisted suicide in just a decade.
Already, MAiD deaths comprise five percent (5%) of all deaths in Canada; troublingly, over a fifth of applicants claim “isolation or loneliness” as reasons for their request to die.
The MAiD program is set to expand in 2027 to allow mental illness as a qualifier for death, despite the numerous controversies already surrounding the program. Reports have uncovered the fact that people are offered MAiD for reasons like poverty, homelessness, and an inability to access disability or mental health services.
In 2025, MP Tamara Jansen introduced Bill C-218, which would bar mental illness alone from qualifying someone as eligible for MAiD. The bill would amend the current criminal code to prohibit “assisted dying” for mental illness, stating that “a mental disorder is not a grievous and irremediable medical condition.”
She explained why the legislation is necessary when she introduced it to parliament, saying:
Imagine your son or daughter battling depression for some time after losing a job or a broken relationship. Imagine they feel the loss so deep they’re convinced the world would be better off without them.
Now imagine this, starting in March 2027, under Canadian law they could just walk into a doctor’s office and ask them to end their life, and under our law the system could legally do just that.
... Those battling depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, are being told that death is a solution we’re now willing to offer in response to a life of suffering … that’s not health care, that’s not compassion. It’s abandonment.
Bill C-218 had its first hour of debate in December of 2025, and has the second hour scheduled for September 23. Following that, a vote will be held on October 7. Should the bill fail, MAiD for mental illness will become legal beginning March 17, 2027.
In a video, MP Andrew Lawton called on legislators to pass Bill C-218, pointing out that he struggled with mental illness and suicidal ideation, but was able to recover. He attempted suicide multiple times but survived. As he pointed out, without Bill C-218, people like Lawton could make sure they had no hope of recovery.
"Someone going through what I was going through 15 years ago would be able to get a doctor to help them end their life. Someone suffering only from a mental illness, with no physical health issues whatsoever, will be able to access MAiD.
Simply put, if the law on the books now were there 15 years ago, I'd probably be dead right now. What I went through didn't happen overnight.
Through much of my teenage years and into my early 20s, I battled severe depression. I would have good days and bad days, but I started to have more and more bad days. At a certain point, I couldn't take it anymore. I made a plan to end my life once and for all. This wasn't a rash or impulsive decision. I scheduled it weeks out."
Lawton also rightly explained that mental illness changes the way a person thinks, so they are unable to have hope for a better future. He added:
"I got better. It wasn't easy, but I did. I built a future I never thought was possible, and it wouldn't have been possible had I succeeded in ending my life.
We can't give up on each other. The pain that mental illness causes is real, and it is hard. But it isn't permanent. Bill C-218 is about ensuring we keep hope alive for people struggling with mental illness. That we give them a right to recover. I got better, and others can too."
MAiD by definition is set up to convince someone that their darkest moments are based in reality, and that it is better to be dead than alive. It encourages suicidal ideation, and if it becomes legal to be euthanized due to mental illness, that encouragement will be significantly increased.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·Canada to hold vote on bill blocking MAID for mental illness
Legislators in Canada will vote on a bill next month that would prevent the inclusion of mental illness in the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program.
Canada legalized MAiD in 2016, and will allow MAiD for mental illness in beginning in 2027.
MAiD has already skyrocketed since its legalization, and has become a leading cause of death in Canada.
A bill to stop MAiD for mental illness has been introduced, and will have a vote in October.
Canada legalized MAiD in 2016, and it quickly became one of the world leaders in assisted suicide and euthanasia. The country is on track to reach 100,000 deaths from euthanasia and assisted suicide in just a decade.
Already, MAiD deaths comprise five percent (5%) of all deaths in Canada; troublingly, over a fifth of applicants claim “isolation or loneliness” as reasons for their request to die.
The MAiD program is set to expand in 2027 to allow mental illness as a qualifier for death, despite the numerous controversies already surrounding the program. Reports have uncovered the fact that people are offered MAiD for reasons like poverty, homelessness, and an inability to access disability or mental health services.
In 2025, MP Tamara Jansen introduced Bill C-218, which would bar mental illness alone from qualifying someone as eligible for MAiD. The bill would amend the current criminal code to prohibit “assisted dying” for mental illness, stating that “a mental disorder is not a grievous and irremediable medical condition.”
She explained why the legislation is necessary when she introduced it to parliament, saying:
Imagine your son or daughter battling depression for some time after losing a job or a broken relationship. Imagine they feel the loss so deep they’re convinced the world would be better off without them.
Now imagine this, starting in March 2027, under Canadian law they could just walk into a doctor’s office and ask them to end their life, and under our law the system could legally do just that.
... Those battling depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, are being told that death is a solution we’re now willing to offer in response to a life of suffering … that’s not health care, that’s not compassion. It’s abandonment.
Bill C-218 had its first hour of debate in December of 2025, and has the second hour scheduled for September 23. Following that, a vote will be held on October 7. Should the bill fail, MAiD for mental illness will become legal beginning March 17, 2027.
In a video, MP Andrew Lawton called on legislators to pass Bill C-218, pointing out that he struggled with mental illness and suicidal ideation, but was able to recover. He attempted suicide multiple times but survived. As he pointed out, without Bill C-218, people like Lawton could make sure they had no hope of recovery.
"Someone going through what I was going through 15 years ago would be able to get a doctor to help them end their life. Someone suffering only from a mental illness, with no physical health issues whatsoever, will be able to access MAiD.
Simply put, if the law on the books now were there 15 years ago, I'd probably be dead right now. What I went through didn't happen overnight.
Through much of my teenage years and into my early 20s, I battled severe depression. I would have good days and bad days, but I started to have more and more bad days. At a certain point, I couldn't take it anymore. I made a plan to end my life once and for all. This wasn't a rash or impulsive decision. I scheduled it weeks out."
Lawton also rightly explained that mental illness changes the way a person thinks, so they are unable to have hope for a better future. He added:
"I got better. It wasn't easy, but I did. I built a future I never thought was possible, and it wouldn't have been possible had I succeeded in ending my life.
We can't give up on each other. The pain that mental illness causes is real, and it is hard. But it isn't permanent. Bill C-218 is about ensuring we keep hope alive for people struggling with mental illness. That we give them a right to recover. I got better, and others can too."
MAiD by definition is set up to convince someone that their darkest moments are based in reality, and that it is better to be dead than alive. It encourages suicidal ideation, and if it becomes legal to be euthanized due to mental illness, that encouragement will be significantly increased.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Cassy Cooke
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest
Joanna Calhoun
·International
Cassy Cooke
·International
Cassy Cooke
·BREAKINGInternational
Cassy Cooke
·Analysis
Cassy Cooke
·Politics
Cassy Cooke
·International
Cassy Cooke
·Politics
Cassy Cooke
·International
Cassy Cooke
·