Justice Secretary David Lametti announced last December that Ottawa intended to seek a delay after concerns were raised that the health system was not ready.

When asked about this on Wednesday, the minister did not go into the exact duration of this period.

“I can’t answer that because that’s what the bill is about,” he said. My colleagues in Parliament have the right to hear it first. »

The government has tabled a statement in the House of Commons that a medical euthanasia bill is in the pipeline, meaning it could be tabled on Thursday at the earliest.

An update to Canada’s Medical Assistance to the Dying Person Act, passed in spring 2021, provided for a temporary disqualification of individuals “whose only medical condition is mental illness,” even if those individuals meet all other eligibility criteria. This exclusion was to expire two years later, in mid-March.

However, as these conditions are enshrined in law, a change in the timetable is required. Given the short time available to Parliament, Mr. Lametti expects the agreement of all parties and senators to proceed swiftly.

Initially, the Liberal government had no plans to extend the law to people whose only underlying condition was mental illness. However, he approved a Senate amendment that went in that direction, as senators argued that excluding people with mental illness would violate their right to equal treatment guaranteed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

For their part, Conservatives have argued that providing medical euthanasia to people whose only underlying condition is mental illness could result in preventable deaths. They point out that unlike physical illnesses, it is more difficult for medical professionals to determine when a mental health problem has become so serious that it can no longer be treated.

Conservative MP Michael Cooper argued that the government’s decision to seek an extension illustrated its “reckless approach” to expanding the regime. According to him, the Liberals should completely refrain from expanding the program.

“We should never have gotten to that point,” said Mr. Cooper. They are introducing their bill at the last minute because they ignored the experts who said it was not safe to do at the moment. »

An expert panel on medical assistance in dying and mental illness, which the government set up to study the problem, concluded last May that additional delay was not necessary.

Rather, he argued that existing eligibility criteria and safeguards are adequate “so long as they are appropriately interpreted to take into account the specifics of mental illness.”