It is expected that beginning in March, people whose only underlying condition is mental illness will also be able to enroll in this variant, the CTV News portal reports.

Mental illnesses were excluded when the latest version of the medical assistance in dying law was approved in the country, in 2021.

However, people will still need to apply and be deemed eligible by two doctors who will determine if they have a desperate condition and if they have the capacity, understand and appreciate their condition, the decision and its consequences.

A spokesperson for Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the government is working with its counterparts to ensure a solid framework is in place when assisted dying is available for mental illnesses.

On the other hand, specialist Jocelyn Downie, of the group that sets standards of practice, said that while some people may suffer less if they have timely access to treatment or support, denying them euthanasia does not not solve the problem, it only means that they continue to suffer.

Meanwhile, some psychiatrists oppose the expansion, arguing that it is impossible to determine whether a mental illness is “irremediable”.

More than 30,000 Canadians have died with medical assistance since the practice was legalized in 2016, with some 10,000 seeking the service in 2021, representing 3.3% of deaths in the country that year, according to the agent data.

The vast majority of candidates were considered close to natural death, the statistics show.