Canada Tables MAID Safeguards Act: Advance Requests Allowed, Mental-Illness Expansion Halted
Canada's Department of Justice announced in Ottawa on October 27 that the government has introduced the MAID Safeguards Act, Bill C-41. Under the bill, adults diagnosed with an incurable illness expected to take away their ability to decide could consent in advance to receive medical assistance in dying (MAID) later, so their wishes could be respected even after they lose that ability. At the same time, Canada will not move ahead with expanding MAID to people whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness.
'Today, we introduced legislation that would allow adults to consent to medical assistance in dying in advance, so their wishes could be respected if they are diagnosed with an incurable illness that could take away the ability to make this decision. It would also end the scheduled expansion of MAID for people on the basis of a mental illness,' Justice Minister Sean Fraser said. 'We will work with provinces and territories on implementation, with rigorous safeguards to protect people and ensure the decision remains voluntary and free from external pressure.' Health Minister Marjorie Michel said the approach must respect personal autonomy while maintaining robust safeguards for those who may be vulnerable.
An advance request would not mean MAID is automatically provided later: all eligibility requirements would have to be met, the new safeguards followed, and the person would have to be experiencing intolerable suffering at the time MAID is provided. Provinces and territories, which regulate and deliver health care, would decide whether to make advance requests available. The two existing pathways remain, each requiring two independent assessments, voluntary informed consent and the right to withdraw at any time.
MAID has been lawful in Canada since 2016 for adults meeting strict eligibility requirements. Findings from a national conversation published in October 2025 showed 67% to 69% of Canadians support advance requests for people diagnosed with a serious incurable condition that will lead to loss of decision-making capacity. In October 2026 the federal government also announced a further $1.2 billion for 2027-28 to support mental health, substance use, and home and community care services.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 渥太华国会山庄。David Samuel, User:Hellodavey1902 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada. Photo by David Samuel, User:Hellodavey1902, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
