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Claire Brosseau Sues for Access to Assisted Dying for Psychiatric Illness

The case challenges Canada’s bar on assisted dying when a mental disorder is the sole condition.

Overview

  • Claire Brosseau, 48, a Montreal-born actress and comedian, says decades of severe, treatment‑resistant psychiatric illness have led her to seek a medically assisted death.
  • She has filed a legal challenge in Ontario Superior Court and aligned with Dying With Dignity Canada, arguing the mental‑health exclusion is discriminatory; the case is pending.
  • Canada’s MAiD framework currently excludes people whose sole condition is a mental disorder, with a planned expansion delayed twice and not expected before 2027.
  • Brosseau reports multiple suicide attempts and extensive unsuccessful care, including dozens of medications, varied therapies, guided psychedelics and electroconvulsive therapy.
  • Her psychiatrists are publicly split, with Dr. Gail Robinson prepared to support MAiD for her if eligible and Dr. Mark Fefergrad saying he believes she can get well.