Canadians, whose only condition is a mental disorder, will not be eligible for a medically assisted death (Medical Assistance In Dying or M-A-I-D) for another year, under a bill introduced in the Commons.

Justice Minister David Lametti tabled the legislation seeking to put off extending the eligibility until March 17, 2024.

”To be honest, we could have gone forward with the original date (March 17, 2023), but we want to be sure.  We want to be safe.  We want everybody to be on the same page,” Lametti reasoned.

”We need to be prudent.  We need to move step by step, making sure that people within the profession, Canadian society at large, has internalized this step.

The government agreed to expand eligibility in 2021 after senators amended the bill.

Senators had argued excluding someone with mental illness would violate their rights.

Before the legislation to delay was introduced, the advocacy group Dying With Dignity Canada, urged Ottawa to make the delay ”short and effective.”

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Michael Cooper says the delay’s not enough and that the ”dangerous expansion” needs to be scrapped entirely.