Independent expert panel on medical assistance in dying releases three reports

OTTAWA - The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) has released three reports on requests for medical assistance in dying (MAID), the result of an independent Expert Panel review conducted at the request of the federal government. The reports were released following their tabling in Parliament today.

The CCA was asked to examine three particularly complex types of requests for MAID that were identified for further review and study in the legislation passed by Parliament in 2016: requests by mature minors, advance requests, and requests where a mental disorder is the sole underlying medical condition.

The Expert Panel's final reports reflect a broad range of knowledge, experience, and perspective from healthcare professions, diverse academic disciplines, advocacy groups, and jurisdictions where MAID is permitted. They gathered and interpreted, with the sensitivity required of the subject, the available evidence, and explored the societal, clinical, legal, and practical implications and issues associated with both permitting and prohibiting MAID in the three topic areas.

The CCA has a well-established approach for convening experts and assessing evidence to inform public policy development in Canada. It brought together a multidisciplinary expert panel of 43 individuals with expertise, knowledge and leadership in a range of disciplines including law, medicine, nursing, bioethics, social sciences, and health sciences, among others.

The CCA is a not-for-profit, independent, and non-partisan organization. The reports provide evidence to inform dialogue and decision-making and do not make recommendations about specific laws, practices, or cases.