Health minister to consult on expanding medical aid in dying to mentally ill

MONTREAL — Quebec’s health minister says there will be at least one day of public consultations on expanding medical assistance in dying after an outcry over a plan to potentially extend it to those with severe mental illness.

Danielle McCann said during a funding announcement in Montreal on Thursday that at least one day is planned at the end of February, but her office later suggested it could extend the consultation period beyond that.

On Tuesday, the minister suggested the Quebec College of Physicians would be responsible for overseeing changes to its guidelines to address patients with mental illness qualifying for the procedure.

McCann acknowledged Thursday it would be important to hear from the public and different groups before proceeding.

She said details about a forum that would include various stakeholder groups, peer support workers and experts will be released at the end of the month.

The minister has said people with only mental illness would only qualify for an assisted death in exceptional circumstances, and those patients would have to meet the other criteria already in place to be eligible.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Jan. 23, 2020.

The Canadian Press