Liberals take stand on MAID as Bill C-39 advances and Tories declare affordability crisis The Liberal government moves to indefinitely exclude mental illness as a sole condition for medical assistance in dying, while Bill C-39 clears its first Commons vote and the Conservatives prepare to declare a national affordability crisis. Parliamentary business ticked along this week largely in the background, but there was plenty worth catching up on. Canada's industry minister put Stelco's U.S. ownership on notice, provincial election intrigue spiked, and the Conservatives are ready to declare a new national crisis. Let's start with the biggest focus from last Dispatch: Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act. The one-project, one-review and labour law-altering legislation cleared its first major hurdle this week, handily passing its first vote in the House of Commons, with the Conservatives voting with the Liberals to send it off for committee study.Bill C-39 Gets Special Committee ReviewIn a move that sparked some intrigue among the Hill's nerdiest, that study will be conducted by a new special committee with arguably the least special name: CC39: Legislative Committee on Bill C-39. Taking the bill this route will allow MPs on the committee to focus only on this bill and no other issue, whereas standard House committees must triage various bills and studies at the same time.Going this route instead of parking it with the labour-focused, environment-focused, finance-focused or energy-focused committees was probably the path of least resistance. The special committee is holding its first official meeting Friday morning. If that results in clarity on their timeline, the types of witnesses they want to hear from, or whether this group will deal with the same kinds of political tactics as other committees, the latest will be available by tapping the signature below.You'll note no New Democrats nor Greens will be sitting around that table. Both parties asked to be let on in this special circumstance and were told no, the latest example of how the NDP's loss of official party status after the last election continues to disadvantage them. Before moving on, it's worth noting that the more progressive parties weren't the sole source of discontent with Bill C-39 this week. On Tuesday, B.C.Liberal MP Patrick Weiler came out criticizing elements of the government's bill during debate. While he told his colleagues that he agrees with the broad direction of the legislation, he doesn't like the idea of giving cabinet the power to accelerate projects, citing the potential to undermine Indigenous consultations. The other major focus in the House this week was the Liberal government finally declaring where it stands on expanding medical assistance in dying. Their answer?Government to Indefinitely Exclude Mental Illness from MAIDIt's complicated. On the issue staring down a legal deadline, whether or not to extend eligibility to those whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness, Justice Minister and Attorney General Sean Fraser said Wednesday the government will make their exclusion indefinite.Canada has made a decision not to move forward with the expansion that is scheduled in the Criminal Code of medical assistance in dying in circumstances where mental illness is the sole basis, Fraser told reporters on Parliament Hill, vowing legislation will be tabled this fall to make that law. The minister insisted that position is not based on where we believe the politics is going to land, but rather based on what we sincerely believe is right.Certain Canadians have had access to MAID since 2016, with amendments made to the eligibility criteria in 2021. Further expansion to include mental illness as the sole factor has been highly controversial, and in 2024 the federal government under former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced it was delaying the move until 2027, after the next federal election.With the expansion set to come into effect in March next year, a special joint parliamentary committee took up the work of studying the issue, hearing from more than three dozen witnesses in the last year and tabling a report in June that ultimately recommended the government indefinitely exclude persons whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness. Fraser said the Liberals don't yet have a date to table the new bill but added it's in the process of being drafted.There are seven sitting weeks left before the winter break, and then only a few months before March. This wasn't the only piece of news in Fraser's update. He also declared this forthcoming bill will include provisions for people who make advanced requests for medical assistance in dying if they have been diagnosed with an illness that will cause them to lose capacity in the future.Fraser said the provisions around advanced consent will have to comply with provincial legislation, and that several jurisdictions currently have differing positions on the issue. You may be wondering if there was more to the timing of the government coming out with this, this week. The answer is yes.MAID Bill C-218 Defeated Before Government VoteThis news dropped just hours before a make-or-break vote on Conservative MP Tamara Jansen's private member's bill C-218, which would have amended the Criminal Code to provide that a mental disorder is not a grievous and irremediable medical condition for which a person could receive MAID. The minister made it clear to reporters he wanted to provide the context of why the government would be voting the way they did beforehand.Fraser said they didn't like the wording of the bill, and it was ultimately defeated. Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Canada is in an affordability crisis, and his party is ready to declare it as such. The Conservatives are preparing to force a vote on the matter, arguing the cost of living has spiraled under the Liberal government.The week also saw Canada's industry minister put Stelco's U.S. ownership on notice, raising questions about the implications for Canadian jobs and the domestic steel sector. Provincial election intrigue spiked as well, with the B.C. campaign featuring parties talking jobs, data centres and royalties. With Parliament now having wrapped its sitting week, MPs return to their ridings for the Thanksgiving weekend before the House resumes.