The Permanent Council of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has issued a statement strongly supporting Private Member’s Bill C-218, which seeks to prevent persons whose sole medical condition is mental illness from accessing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (“MAiD”). Bill C-218 is expected to proceed to second reading in the House of Commons in early March 2026.

The CCCB has a strong record of opposing “MAiD” and seeking to limit its scope in Canadian society. This statement has been approved by 14 Bishops from across Canada, who together form the Permanent Council, CCCB’s most authoritative voice between Plenary Assembly meetings.

The statement’s position aligns with the Permanent Council’s 2023 Open Letter to the Government of Canada on Permitting Persons Living with Mental Illness to Access Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide: “To enable or assist in the suicide for these patients directly contradicts national suicide prevention strategies and reneges on our collective social responsibility to provide persons living with mental health challenges with treatment, support, and hope through therapeutic interventions.”

Referencing empirical research and the professional judgment of many mental health professionals, the statement notes that mental illness is not necessarily irremediable. This implies that access to treatment for mental illness, including palliative care, must be improved.

The Permanent Council concludes with an exhortation to allow parliamentary voting on Bill C-218 to proceed according to their conscience rather than following party line.

Download: Statement by the Permanent Council In Support of Bill C-218: “An Act to amend the Criminal Code (Medical Assistance in Dying)”