This bill has received Royal Assent and is now law.
Summary
This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament has also written a full legislative summary of the bill.
This enactment amends An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying) to provide that persons are not eligible, until March 17, 2027, to receive medical assistance in dying if their sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.
Elsewhere
All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.
Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-62s:
C-62 (2017)Law
An Act to amend the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act and other Acts
This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below.
Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Bill C-62 proposes to extend the delay of the implementation of MAID (medical assistance in dying) for individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental disorder until March 17, 2027. The bill also includes a legislative requirement that the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying be reconvened to review the country's preparedness ahead of the change. This extension aims to allow more time for provinces, territories, and medical practitioners to prepare and implement necessary resources and safeguards.
Liberal
Support extension of exclusion: The Liberal Party supports Bill C-62, which proposes to extend the temporary exclusion of eligibility for medical assistance in dying for persons suffering solely from a mental illness by three years, until March 17, 2027. They believe this extension is necessary to ensure the health care system is adequately prepared to safely provide MAID in these complex cases and to protect vulnerable individuals.
Need for careful implementation: The Liberals emphasize that while mental illness can cause suffering on par with physical illnesses, a cautious approach is needed. They want to ensure appropriate measures and safeguards are in place before expanding MAID eligibility to those with mental illness as their sole underlying condition.
Progress in preparedness: The Liberals highlight progress made in developing model MAID practice standards, training programs for clinicians, and knowledge exchange workshops. These efforts aim to support a consistent and safe approach to MAID practice across Canada, particularly in complex cases involving mental illness.
Commitment to mental health: The Liberal Party is committed to improving the mental health care system alongside the implementation of MAID. They highlight significant investments in mental health services, suicide prevention initiatives, and support for provinces and territories to strengthen mental health care and address substance use issues.
Support MAID with dignity: The Bloc Québécois believes individuals enduring intolerable suffering should have the right to choose medical assistance in dying (MAID) with dignity and respect. The government should not claim to know better than an individual what is good for them concerning something as personal as their own death.
Quebec consensus: There is a consensus in Quebec society, where people have been considering MAID for decades. The right to choose based on one's values and suffering level is essential in a free country.
Advance consent requests: The Bloc is against Bill C-62 because no clause addresses the Quebec National Assembly's call for the government to amend the Criminal Code to align with Quebec legislation on end-of-life care by allowing advance consent requests.
Conservative
Opposed to MAID expansion: The Conservative party is opposed to the expansion of MAID for mental illness, believing the Liberal government is acting recklessly and putting ideology ahead of evidence-based decision-making. Conservatives highlight the clinical, legal, and ethical problems with the expansion.
Problems predicting irremediability: The Conservatives emphasize the difficulty of accurately predicting irremediability in mental health conditions, raising concerns that people who could get better will have their lives prematurely ended. They cite evidence that clinicians can be wrong about irremediability 50% of the time.
Distinguishing suicide from MAID: The Conservatives raise concerns about the difficulty in distinguishing a rational request for MAID from suicidal ideation, blurring the line between suicide prevention and facilitation. They argue that this transforms MAID into state-facilitated suicide.
Will reverse Liberal decision: Conservatives are committed to reversing the Liberal government's decision to expand assisted suicide for mental illness. The party introduced Bill C-314 to repeal the Liberal plan and will continue to bring hope and provide real help for those who are suffering.
NDP
Supports Bill C-62: The NDP supports Bill C-62, which would delay the expansion of MAID to include mental disorders as a sole underlying condition, emphasizing the need to heed calls from professionals and provinces for a ready system.
System not ready: Alistair MacGregor cites testimony from medical professionals expressing discomfort and concern that Canada is not ready for MAID for mental disorders. There are concerns about the ability to accurately assess decision-making capacity and predict the course of mental illnesses.
Social safety net needed: Bonita Zarrillo argues that expanding MAID is inappropriate during a mental health crisis, amid toxic drug poisonings, and without adequate social safety nets like the Canada Disability Benefit. She implores the Liberal government to implement the disability benefit to lift people out of poverty before seriously considering MAID expansion.
Blames Liberals and Conservatives: Bonita Zarrillo places blame on both the Liberal and Conservative parties. She claims that Conservatives gutted social programs, and the Liberals have not acted quickly enough to implement critical supports like pharmacare and disability benefits.
Bloc
Opposes further delays: The Bloc opposes further delays to the expansion of MAID to include those with mental disorders, arguing that those individuals will continue to suffer, possibly leading to suicide, if the bill is delayed indefinitely. The Bloc believes that proper assessment and guidelines, such as those laid out by the Collège des médecins du Québec, can ensure the safe and appropriate application of MAID for mental disorders.
Supports patient autonomy: The Bloc believes the state's role is to ensure conditions for free will, not to decide what a patient needs. The Bloc is advocating for respecting the self-determination of individuals with mental disorders and the importance of offering relief to those experiencing intolerable suffering.
Importance of proper assessment: The Bloc emphasizes the need for a comprehensive assessment of the patient's situation, including the chronicity of the condition and the exclusion of suicidal ideation. They cite the Collège des médecins du Québec's guidelines and conditions for providing MAID to individuals with mental disorders, emphasizing multidisciplinary assessment and prolonged suffering.
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
