Canada's new assisted suicide law to exclude foreigners

Foreigners will be excluded from Canada's new assisted suicide law. It will also bar those with mental illness or psychiatric conditions.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Source: AAP

Canada's new assisted suicide law will exclude non-Canadians, which means Americans won't be able to travel to Canada to die.

A senior government official told The Associated Press late on Wednesday the new law will exclude non-Canadians, precluding the prospect of suicide tourism from the US and elsewhere.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss details ahead of the Thursday morning announcement.

The law will also will exclude those who experience mental illness or psychiatric conditions. It will also ban advance consent. That is, it won't allow requests to end one's life in the future.

The Supreme Court last year struck down laws that bar doctors from helping someone die, but put the ruling on hold while the government came up with a new law.