The federal government is considering suspending its initial plan to expand the rules governing medical assistance in dying to include patients whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder.

Justice Minister Arif Virani said on Thursday, "We are evaluating our options."

This would be the second time that the federal Liberals have suspended their project. The first time was in February when the government decided to impose a one-year delay in response to public and political concerns.

This decision also set a new deadline in March 2024, which now appears to be at risk, as Virani said the cabinet will consider the views of the joint parliamentary committee, as well as the opinions of medical experts and other stakeholders.

He added that both options are on the table.

In February, David Lametti, Virani's predecessor, said the government could have proceeded with its timetable but preferred to give healthcare workers more time to prepare for the change.

At that time, Mr. Lametti pointed out that the extension would provide sufficient time to ensure that our healthcare system protects vulnerable people and supports autonomy and freedom of choice.

Medical assistance in dying was legalized in Canada in 2016. Three years later, the Quebec Superior Court declared the original test, which requires that natural death be reasonably foreseeable, unconstitutional.

Senators also argued that excluding people with a qualifying mental disorder violated their rights. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government finally agreed to expand eligibility in 2021.

This move resulted in a two-year sunset clause that was set to expire last March, before the Liberals proposed delaying it for another year.

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Some European countries already allow adults whose sole medical issue is a mental disorder to request medical assistance in dying. Whether Canada should follow suit has sparked heated debate.

Supporters said that expanding the scheme provides an option for suffering people with no other choices, sparing them from violation of their rights.

However, some disability organization representatives believe that sufficient mental health support is a better option.

Other organizations, such as the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, noted that there is no clear medical consensus on what constitutes a serious, irremediable mental illness or how to distinguish it from suicide.

Virani also said the first step will be to assess the recommendations of a special joint committee of MPs and senators tasked with studying the issue. The committee reconvened after the government set the original deadline.

For his part, co-chair René Arseneault, the Liberal MP for Quebec, said that the decision to seek medical assistance to end one’s life is a fundamental personal choice.