Respond to the Supreme Court of Canada decision regarding physician-assisted death.

What success looks like

Adult Canadians suffering from grievous and irremediable medical conditions and whose death is reasonably foreseeable are able to easily and effectively access medical assistance in dying if they so choose.

Government's narrative on progress

On June 17, 2016, medical assistance in dying (MAID) became a reality in Canada following Royal Assent of the federal legal framework, which protects vulnerable persons while providing options to eligible Canadians to make an informed decision about the end of life. In December 2016, as required by the new law, the government initiated independent study reports to consider in more detail three particularly complex types of requests for MAID. These include requests by mature minors, advance requests, and requests where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition. Independent expert panels, organized by the Council of Canadian Academies, conducted these reviews and produced three reports, which were tabled in Parliament in December 2018. The government is carefully reviewing these reports, which will help inform debate on the issue of medical assistance in dying among Canadians and decision-makers. As of April 2017, Health Canada has been providing interim public reporting on the use of MAID across Canada, and the final interim report will be completed in spring 2019. Health Canada has also finalized the regulations that will establish a permanent monitoring regime, which came into force on November 1, 2018.

Note: this is the government's own description, not an independent assessment.