Medical assistance in dying in Canada

Understand how federal and provincial rules work, where official routes are published, and how to read your rights. Information only, not an eligibility test.

You can learn how the rules work without deciding what you want to do.

Official sources
Last reviewed September 29, 2026
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Current law at a glance

MAID is governed primarily by the federal Criminal Code with provincial/territorial delivery rules.
Two tracks: natural death reasonably foreseeable vs not reasonably foreseeable (different safeguards).
Mental illness as the sole underlying condition remains excluded until March 17, 2027 (unless Parliament changes the law).
Québec has distinct statutory rules, including advance requests. Rules are not identical to the rest of Canada.
This page is information only. It is not an eligibility test and not medical or legal advice.

Verified against official sources on 2026-09-29

Criteria an assessor considers

Federal Criminal Code criteria are legal tests. Only a qualified MAID assessor can determine whether someone meets them.

Eligible for health services funded by a government in Canada (or would be but for a minimum period of residence or waiting period).
At least 18 years of age and capable of making decisions about their health.
Has a grievous and irremediable medical condition: a serious and incurable illness, disease, or disability; in an advanced state of irreversible decline in capability; and enduring physical or psychological suffering that is intolerable to them.
Has made a voluntary request for MAID that was not made as a result of external pressure.
Has given informed consent after having been informed of the means available to relieve suffering, including palliative care.

If a person has difficulty communicating, the Criminal Code requires measures that provide a reliable means to understand the information and communicate their decision.

MyEligible does not determine eligibility. An assessor applies the law to the person’s situation.

Verified against official sources on 2026-09-29

Safeguards in law

Track 1: natural death is reasonably foreseeable

Written request for MAID, signed and dated by the person, with one independent witness when the request is signed.
Two independent practitioners assess whether the person meets the eligibility criteria.
Right to withdraw consent at any time before MAID is provided.
Opportunity to withdraw or give final consent immediately before provision, except where a valid waiver of final consent applies under the Criminal Code.

Track 2: natural death is not reasonably foreseeable

Two independent practitioners assess whether the person meets the eligibility criteria.
Expertise in the condition causing suffering, through one assessor or consultation with someone who has that expertise.
Information about, and offer of consultations on, appropriate means to relieve suffering.
Serious consideration of reasonable and available means to relieve suffering.
Minimum 90 clear days between the start of the first assessment and provision, except under the statutory exception when loss of capacity is imminent.
Final consent expressed immediately before provision.

Verified against official sources on 2026-09-29

Your rights during the process

You can ask questions and take time to think. A request must be voluntary.
You can change your mind at any time; withdrawing consent stops the process.
You are entitled to information about your condition, options to relieve suffering, and what MAID involves under the law.
If you have communication needs, the law requires reliable ways to understand information and express your decision.
Conscientious objection by a provider does not remove your ability to seek information through the official system route.

Federal law allows you to withdraw consent at any time before MAID is provided. Health Canada - Legislation

Québec: separate rules

Québec’s Act respecting end-of-life care includes advance requests and Québec-specific eligibility and process rules. Do not assume federal Criminal Code wording applies the same way in Québec.

Government of Quebec - MAID

Verified against official sources on 2026-09-29

Your official route

Choose your province or territory

Select a province or territory to show the published official route.

Supporting someone who is considering MAID

If you're here because someone you care about is considering MAID, there is information for you too. You can help someone find official information. You cannot request MAID for another person or decide for them.

The person must make a voluntary, informed request. External pressure can affect whether the legal criteria are met.
You cannot substitute your consent for theirs. Substitute decision-maker rules for MAID differ by jurisdiction and are not summarized here.
You can attend appointments only if the person wants you there and providers agree. Privacy rules still apply.
Official provincial or territorial routes and assessors determine eligibility — not family consensus.
If the person changes their mind, federal law allows withdrawal of consent before MAID is provided.
For authoritative process details, use the official health-system route for their province or territory on this page.

General caregiver and grief resources on MyEligible are separate from MAID assessments. They do not establish MAID eligibility.

For family and caregivers · After a death

You can help someone find official information, appointments, and community supports. You cannot sign or substitute your decision for theirs.
Assessors speak with the person requesting MAID. Family input may matter clinically, but the legal request and consents are the person's.
If someone changes their mind, support that choice without pressure either way.

Use MyEligible’s bereavement guide for CPP/QPP death benefits, notifications, and estate steps. Amounts and rules vary.

Bereavement and estate guide

Other support you may want to exploreYou can explore help with care, income, medication costs, housing, caregiving, or daily support separately from asking questions about MAID. These supports are optional and do not determine whether you can ask about MAID.

Disability income and supports

Provincial and federal programs that may help with income and disability-related costs.

Housing and essentials

Navigate housing, utilities, and essential-cost programs in your province or territory.

Care, comfort, and palliative support

Home and community care entry points, supported living, and comfort-oriented resources. Not a substitute for clinical palliative care.

Medication coverage

Public drug and formulary navigation. Not clinical prescribing advice.

Caregiver support

Province-specific caregiver benefits and practical hubs.

Seniors care planning

Long-term care, home care, and reporting concerns. Separate from MAID eligibility.

Comfort and crisis texts

Plain-language support texts and links to crisis resources. Separate from MAID assessments.

More legal detailAdditional detail about consent, capacity, mental illness, and related legal rules.

Decision-making capacity, final consent, and advance requests

Under the federal Criminal Code track outside Québec, MAID requires the person to be capable of making health decisions at key steps. This is different from Québec’s statutory advance-request framework.

Capacity under federal law

The person must be capable of making decisions about their health when assessments and consent steps occur.
If someone loses capacity before safeguards are complete, the federal process generally cannot continue on an advance request made earlier outside Québec’s AMM law.
If communication is difficult, the law requires reliable ways to understand information and express a decision.

Waiver of final consent (Track 1 only)

When natural death is reasonably foreseeable, federal law still requires final consent immediately before provision unless a valid waiver of final consent applies.
After assessment and approval, a person who may lose capacity before their chosen date may, where statutory conditions are met, make a written arrangement about waiver of final consent. An assessor determines whether the arrangement is valid.
This is not a waiver of the independent-witness requirement for signing the written request. Witness and final-consent rules are separate safeguards.

Advance requests: federal vs Québec

Québec’s Act respecting end-of-life care includes advance requests with Québec-specific rules and timelines.
Other provinces and territories follow the federal Criminal Code framework, which does not provide the same advance-request pathway as Québec.
Do not assume a document prepared in one jurisdiction governs MAID steps in another.

Québec advance-request rules are separate from federal Criminal Code tracks.

Current law

Today, mental illness as the sole underlying medical condition is not eligible for MAID under the federal Criminal Code.

Enacted change: not yet in effect

Federal law already includes a delayed provision: unless Parliament changes the law first, eligibility rules for mental illness as the sole underlying condition are scheduled to change on March 17, 2027. That date is enacted in law but not yet in effect.

What may change

On June 17, 2026, Parliament’s Special Joint Committee on MAID published its report recommending that Parliament indefinitely exclude mental illness as the sole underlying condition. That recommendation has not itself changed the law.

Pending legislation

Bill C-218: At second reading in the House of Commons — not law.

Why we say this· Verified 2026-09-29

If I am found ineligible, what happens next?

An assessor decides whether the legal criteria are met. If they are not, the MAID process stops. That is not a dead end for care, income, disability, or psychosocial support.

You can still access health services, palliative care, community programs, and benefits navigators. Research on expert and family experiences suggests continued support matters after an ineligibility finding, but only official routes determine what you can receive.

Clinician conscientious objection

Some health professionals may decline to provide or participate in MAID because of personal beliefs. That objection does not end your right to ask questions through official system routes.

You can ask your care team how to contact MAID coordination or assessment services in your province or territory.
Provincial and territorial health authorities publish official entry points. Use those links rather than informal shortcuts.
Transfer or referral processes vary by region and setting. An official coordinator can explain the next step.
MyEligible does not rank providers or guarantee a particular clinician will participate.

Dementia and cognitive decline

When memory or thinking changes over time, decision-making capacity can shift. Federal MAID steps require capacity at key moments unless Québec’s separate advance-request rules apply.

Capacity is assessed at specific steps in the process, not assumed from a diagnosis alone.
If someone loses capacity before safeguards are complete, the federal Criminal Code track generally cannot continue on an informal advance wish made outside Québec’s law.
Communication supports and reliable ways to understand information matter when speech or cognition fluctuates.
Palliative care, dementia-specific supports, and caregiver resources remain available regardless of MAID questions.

Assessors and your care team

Only qualified MAID assessors determine whether legal criteria are met. Other clinicians may help with information, supports, and referrals without making that legal determination.

Assessors apply federal law and applicable provincial or territorial rules. They explain criteria in plain language and document informed consent steps.
Track 1 (reasonably foreseeable natural death) and Track 2 (not reasonably foreseeable) follow different safeguard paths in law and guidance.
Clinicians must discuss reasonable options to relieve suffering, including palliative care and community or disability supports, where the law requires it.
MyEligible does not replace assessors, coordinate care, or store clinical records.

Disability, chronic illness, and MAID questions

Many people living with disability or chronic illness ask about MAID without wanting to die. Supports for income, housing, medication, and care are separate from assessor eligibility decisions.

Federal criteria refer to grievous and irremediable medical conditions in law; only assessors interpret how that applies to your situation.
Disability income programs, drug coverage navigators, and home care entry points may help with daily life regardless of MAID outcomes.
Research suggests social conditions can matter in complex assessments, but they are not listed here as causes of MAID requests.
Use the support routes on this page to explore benefits and services without implying you must use them before asking questions.

What we could not confirm

For some territories, detailed public routing is not confirmed in the official sources we consulted. Use the Health Canada directory and the official health-system contact.

How we verify important claimsSee the evidence and official sources behind important statements on this page.

Material claims we make on this page

Each row ties a user-facing statement to an official source. Pending legislative items are labeled separately from current law.

Claim	Type	Evidence	Source
Today, mental illness as the sole underlying medical condition is not eligible for MAID under the federal Criminal Code.	Current federal law	Law / official rule	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
Federal law already includes a delayed provision: unless Parliament changes the law first, eligibility rules for mental illness as the sole underlying condition are scheduled to change on March 17, 2027. That date is enacted in law but not yet in effect.	Pending legislative development	Law / official rule	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
On June 17, 2026, Parliament’s Special Joint Committee on MAID published its report recommending that Parliament indefinitely exclude mental illness as the sole underlying condition. That recommendation has not itself changed the law.	Pending legislative development	Law / official rule	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
Bill C-218 — At second reading in the House of Commons — not law.	Pending legislative development	Law / official rule	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
As of the verified date, Alberta Health Services states there are no current changes to how MAID is assessed, authorized, or provided.	Provincial / territorial rule	Official access route	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act (formerly Bill 18) — Received Royal Assent on March 18, 2026; comes into force upon proclamation (not yet in force).	Pending legislative development	Law / official rule	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
Federal eligibility includes being eligible for publicly funded health services in Canada (Criminal Code criterion — not a blanket “MAID is free everywhere” claim).	Current federal law	Law / official rule	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
CPP death benefit for deaths on or after January 1, 2025: $2,500 basic plus possible $2,500 top-up (maximum $5,000) under listed conditions.	Current federal law	Law / official rule	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
Only a qualified MAID assessor can determine whether someone meets the legal criteria.	Professional guidance	MyEligible synthesis	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
You may withdraw your request or consent at any time before MAID is provided; withdrawal stops the process under federal law.	Current federal law	Law / official rule	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
You can ask questions without deciding to proceed.	Professional guidance	MyEligible synthesis	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
Track 1: natural death is reasonably foreseeable: Written request for MAID, signed and dated by the person, with one independent witness when the request is signed. Two independent practitioners assess whether the person meets the eligibility criteria. Right to withdraw consent at any time before MAID is provided. Opportunity to withdraw or give final consent immediately before provision, except where a valid waiver of final consent applies under the Criminal Code.	Current federal law	Law / official rule	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29
Track 2: natural death is not reasonably foreseeable: Two independent practitioners assess whether the person meets the eligibility criteria. Expertise in the condition causing suffering, through one assessor or consultation with someone who has that expertise. Information about, and offer of consultations on, appropriate means to relieve suffering. Serious consideration of reasonable and available means to relieve suffering. Minimum 90 clear days between the start of the first assessment and provision, except under the statutory exception when loss of capacity is imminent. Final consent expressed immediately before provision.	Current federal law	Law / official rule	Official source Verified: 2026-09-29

Official sources

What research tells us about navigating MAIDOptional research context. These studies do not determine legal eligibility.

These peer-reviewed or official descriptive studies informed how we organize information and tone. They do not establish eligibility, legal rights, or who should receive MAID. Sample sizes and methods vary; read each limitation.

Pan-Canadian expert Delphi (2026)
Henry et al., BMC Palliative Care, 2026.
Modified Delphi with 54 Canadian MAID and end-of-life care experts.
Expert consensus, not patient outcomes or law. Findings describe practice priorities, not who is eligible.
Track 2 assessor interviews (2026)
Pesut et al., CMAJ, 2026.
Qualitative interviews with 23 MAID assessors across four provinces.
Assessor perspectives on complexity, voluntariness, capacity, and supports. Barriers such as cost, housing, food insecurity, rurality, or access may appear as contextual relevance in assessments; they are not established as general causes of MAID requests.
Patient listening study (2024)
Fruhstorfer et al., Canadian Family Physician, 2024.
Qualitative interviews with 16 patients with complex chronic illness.
Small, selected sample. Findings inform conversational tone (listening, validation, distinguishing asking from assessing from proceeding), not legal criteria.
Family and friends qualitative study (2026)
Cross-Canada qualitative study, 2026 (family and friends, n=34).
Qualitative interviews with 34 family members and friends across Canada.
Non-representative sample of bereaved or supporting networks. Does not define legal rights or assessor duties.
Health Canada sixth annual MAID report
Health Canada, Sixth Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying (2026).
National descriptive statistics compiled from mandatory reporting.
Official aggregate data with stated reporting gaps and limitations in the report itself. Describes what was reported, not individual eligibility.
Reference (not eligibility authority)