OTTAWA, ON, June 19, 2026 /CNW/ - This week, the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying tabled its report, recommending an indefinite exclusion of mental illness as the sole basis of a request for medical assistance in dying (MAID).

The Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA), the professional body representing Canada's psychiatrists and psychiatrists-in-training, affirms the equal treatment of all Canadians, and maintains that MAID legislation, processes and safeguards should evolve in a way that does not unduly restrict the autonomy or equality rights of people with mental disorders, or reinforce potentially discriminatory assumptions about their decision–making capacity.

While CPA does not take a position on the legality or morality of MAID, or whether it should be available on the sole basis of a mental disorder, since MAID was legalized in Canada, people with mental disorders have been and continue to be able to request MAID if they have an eligible illness, disease or disability and meet all legislative criteria. Clinicians are already required to conduct rigorous, individualized assessments to determine whether a person has the decisional capacity to make health–care choices, whether their decision is voluntary, stable and consistent with their values, and whether all reasonable treatment options have been explored. These safeguards apply equally to physical and mental illnesses.

For all Canadians, the core of health–care decision–making lies in balancing a clinician's duty to provide care, treatment and hope for recovery with a person's right to make informed decisions about their own suffering, values and life trajectory. While the CPA acknowledges that MAID is a difficult issue with multiple viewpoints, the CPA emphasizes that mental disorders alone must not be used as a proxy for incapacity or vulnerability, and that people with mental illness deserve the same considerations and approach to health-care decision-making as all Canadians.

The CPA remains committed to advancing access to high-quality, evidence-based care for people with mental disorders. CPA will continue to provide leadership, clinical guidance and educational resources to support psychiatrists in navigating complex clinical and ethical issues.  

Founded in 1951, the CPA is the national voice of Canada's psychiatrists and psychiatrists-in-training and is the leading authority on psychiatric matters in Canada.

SOURCE Canadian Psychiatric Association