Article By Frank Bergman
Canada’s rapidly expanding euthanasia regime is facing explosive new scrutiny after a government hearing revealed “experts” are now openly arguing for assisted suicide to be extended to people suffering from depression and eating disorders.
The disturbing exchange took place during a Special Joint Parliamentary Committee hearing on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).
During the hearing, a psychiatrist suggested that even non-terminal mental health conditions could qualify someone for taxpayer-funded, state-assisted death.
Psychiatrist Signals Support for Expanding Euthanasia
During questioning, Conservative MP Andrew Lawton pressed Dr. Mona Gupta on whether individuals with depression or eating disorders should be eligible for euthanasia.
“It depends on the circumstances of the person,” said Gupta, a psychiatrist and professor at the University of Montreal.
Lawton followed up directly: “So it could?”
“Potentially,” Gupta admitted.
The exchange confirmed what critics have been warning for years: Canada’s euthanasia system is steadily expanding beyond terminal illness into mental health and subjective suffering.
Gupta also acknowledged that the concept of “treatment-resistant” illness, often used to justify extreme medical decisions, is not even formally defined within MAiD law.
This issue is raising serious concerns about how eligibility is determined.
Slippery Standards and Subjective Criteria
Under current Canadian law, individuals must have a “grievous and irremediable” condition and experience “enduring and intolerable” suffering.
But as Gupta made clear, those standards are increasingly being interpreted on a case-by-case basis.
“It is difficult to make rules for diagnosis – we have to look at the individual person,” she said.
While she noted that typical medical practice involves exhausting all treatment options, she also suggested that patients could be deemed eligible even if they are unable, or unwilling, to pursue those treatments under certain circumstances.
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Real-World Consequences Already Raising Alarm
The hearing comes as reports continue to emerge of Canadians being offered, or steered toward, euthanasia under deeply troubling conditions.
An 84-year-old woman recently revealed she was offered “assisted suicide” in a hospital despite not being terminally ill.
The woman, identified as Miriam, said the doctor tried to pressure her into being euthanized before attempting to determine what was wrong with her.
Miriam said there was “no way” she would agree to “take measures to end” her life.
In another case, a man was euthanized after suffering from partial blindness, fueling outrage over how far the system has already expanded.
Provinces Push Back as Federal Government Expands Program
Some regions are now attempting to draw a line.
In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith and her United Conservative Party have introduced legislation aimed at restricting access to euthanasia.
The efforts include banning lethal injection for minors and allowing doctors to opt out entirely.
The move is intended to “strengthen protections for vulnerable Albertans.”
It comes as concerns mount over the direction of federal policy.
Meanwhile, Canada’s federal government, under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and current PM Mark Carney, has dramatically expanded euthanasia access since its legalization in 2016.
The program has grown 13-fold, making it the fastest-growing assisted suicide system in the world.
A System Expanding Faster Than Safeguards
Plans to extend euthanasia to those suffering solely from mental illness were temporarily delayed until 2027 following backlash from medical professionals, advocacy groups, and multiple provinces.
But the latest hearing signals that pressure to expand eligibility is not slowing down.
Canada’s euthanasia program is now the sixth-leading cause of death in the country, marking a staggering shift in less than a decade.
As lawmakers continue debating whether to broaden access even further, critics warn the country is crossing a dangerous line, moving from end-of-life care into state-sanctioned death for society’s most vulnerable.
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