Assisted Dying Accounts For One In Twenty Deaths In Canada
Canada passed MAID (medical aid in dying) legislation in 2016. New government data shows that medically-assisted dying accounted for 4.7% of deaths in Canada in 2023.
According to Health Canada, more than 320,000 people died in Canada in 2023, and 15,300 of those deaths – or one in 20 – were medically-assisted deaths.
The median age of this group was more than 77 years old and the vast majority (96%) had a death deemed “reasonably foreseeable” due to severe medical conditions such as cancer. (In Canada, consenting adults can request medical assistance in dying from a healthcare provider if they have a serious medical condition).
Assisted dying continues to have the highest usage rate in Quebec, which accounted for nearly 37% of all euthanasia deaths, despite the province holding just 22% of Canada’s population. Quebec’s government launched a study earlier this year to examine why its euthanasia rate was so high.
Canada expanded access in 2021 to people who may not have a terminal diagnosis, but want to end their life because of a chronic, debilitating condition – this expansion would have broadened access to people with mental illnesses.
The expansion was delayed after concerns were raised by Canadian provinces, which oversee healthcare delivery, about whether the system could cope with such an expansion.
A report released in October by Ontario has since shed some light on controversial cases where people were granted assisted dying when they were not nearing their natural death.
One example included a woman in her 50s with a history of depression and suicidal thoughts who had a severe sensitivity to chemicals. Her request for euthanasia was granted after she failed to secure housing that could have met her medical needs.
In another case, a Nova Scotia cancer patient said she was asked if she was aware of assisted dying as an option – twice -- as she underwent mastectomy surgeries.
Canadian news outlets have also reported on cases where people with disabilities have considered assisted dying due to lack of housing or disability benefits.