Canadian Psychiatrist Tells MPs: Teens With Depression, Eating Disorders Could Qualify for MAiD

Dr. Mona Gupta, a Canadian psychiatrist and professor at the University of Montreal, has told Members of Parliament that conditions such as depression and eating disorders could be considered valid reasons for euthanasia under Canada’s expanding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) regime — a statement that is intensifying alarm over how far the program could go.

The remarks were delivered during recent parliamentary discussions examining the future of MAiD, particularly as Canada continues to debate whether to extend eligibility to individuals whose sole underlying condition is mental illness.

While the federal government has postponed that expansion until 2027, the legal framework allowing it is already in place — raising urgent questions about how far this system is intended to go.

A Slippery Slope Already in Motion

Canada legalized euthanasia in 2016, initially restricting it to those whose death was “reasonably foreseeable.” That changed in 2021 with Bill C-7, which removed that safeguard and broadened eligibility.

Since then, MAiD deaths have steadily increased, now accounting for more than 1 in 20 deaths nationally.

Although mental illness is currently excluded as a sole qualifying condition, that exclusion is temporary. The federal government has repeatedly delayed its removal amid public concern, but the policy direction has not changed.

The recent parliamentary testimony underscores what critics have warned for years: once euthanasia expands, the boundaries do not hold — they move.

Unlike terminal physical illness, conditions like depression and eating disorders can improve — sometimes significantly — with time, treatment and support. Extending MAiD into this category raises the risk of irreversible decisions being made during periods of vulnerability, including among young people.

This is where the debate shifts from abstract policy to something far more serious.

Canada is now openly discussing whether individuals struggling with mental illness — including youth — could qualify for state-assisted death.

Concerns raised by physicians and advocates include the difficulty of predicting recovery in psychiatric patients, the blurring of lines between suicide prevention and assisted death, and whether existing safeguards are sufficient to protect those most at risk.

Canada’s euthanasia regime is already among the most permissive in the world. Critics warn that social suffering, lack of care, and systemic gaps may be intersecting with eligibility.

At the same time, many Canadians — including young people — continue to face long wait times and limited access to meaningful mental health support.

The question is no longer just about expansion. It is about priorities.

If support systems are failing, and euthanasia is expanding, Canadians are left to ask: what exactly is being offered — care, or an exit?

This is no longer theoretical. It is unfolding now.