Toronto woman who wants to die says federal MAID committee isn’t listening

Toronto woman who wants to die says federal MAID committee isn’t listening

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/medical-assistance-in-dying-mental-illness-9.7176814

Publish Date: 2026-04-28 04:00:00

Warning: This story references suicide.

Claire Elyse Brosseau has been waiting years for the Canadian government to let her die.

The 49-year-old has struggled for decades with a laundry list of mental diagnoses, including Bipolar 1 disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and disordered eating. All of this has made her life unbearable, she says.

“I wake up in the morning and the minute I open my eyes, I feel just a sense of … dread and panic,” she said.

It’s why the Toronto woman wants to end her life, but under current Canadian legislation she’s not eligible for medical assistance in dying (MAID) because she only suffers from mental illnesses. Next year, that’s supposed to change — though the federal government has already delayed twice.

The Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD) is currently working to advise the government on the eligibility of people like Brosseau. But Brosseau and some experts say AMAD is not adhering to its mandate, which is to undertake a “comprehensive review” of the topic. Some experts in favour of expanding MAID eligibility also say bias in the committee might lead to unfair recommendations.

Most MAID deaths in Canada due to cancer

Since assisted dying became legal across Canada in 2016, more than 76,000 people have used it, according to a Health Canada report — the vast majority owing to cancer.

Initially, the legislation said that a person’s natural death had to be “reasonably foreseeable.” Following a ruling by the Superior Court of Quebec in 2019, which found that criterion unconstitutional, the Canadian government approved new legislation in 2021, which is in place today and includes the following two tracks:

Track 1: when a person’s natural death is reasonably foreseeable.
Track 2: when a person’s natural death is not reasonably foreseeable.

It also temporarily delayed expanding eligibility to those suffering only from mental disorders.