N環球 
MPs vote today on blocking MAID for mental illness alone
The House of Commons votes Wednesday on Bill C-218 at second reading; passage would move Canada toward permanently excluding mental illness as the sole qualifying condition for medical assistance in dying, currently set to take effect March 17, 2027.
Why it matters
Canada's House of Commons is set to vote on Wednesday (Oct. 7) on Bill C-218, the Right to Recover Act, at second reading. The private member's bill from Conservative MP Tamara Jansen (Cloverdale–Langley City) would amend the Criminal Code to exclude mental disorder from qualifying as a "grievous and irremediable medical condition" for medical assistance in dying (MAID). If the vote passes, the bill moves to committee study — the first step toward permanently blocking MAID for people whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness. If it fails, the bill dies and the expansion proceeds on schedule on March 17, 2027.
Background
Canada legalized assisted dying in 2016 and expanded it in 2021 to people who are not terminally ill but have an incurable condition or disability. Eligibility for mental illness as the sole condition has been delayed three times and is now set for March 17, 2027. In June, Parliament's Special Joint Committee on MAID (AMAD) recommended indefinitely excluding mental-illness-only cases, with 14 of 17 members in favour, saying the conditions for "safe and equitable implementation" cannot currently be met. Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto publicly urged MPs this week to support C-218.
What's next
If it clears second reading, C-218 goes to committee for clause-by-clause review, then needs a third reading and Senate approval to become law. As a private member's bill, it will need backing from some Liberal MPs to advance. The government has not yet decided whether to legislate the committee's recommendation itself.
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