– Assisted dying has been legal in Canada since 2016. In its first year, 1,018 people died by medical assistance in dying (MAiD). In 2021, that figure was 10,064 – an increase of 889%.
– Over these five years, the law has expanded to include people with non-terminal illnesses, and recent reports show requests being made and approved, on the basis of poverty and lack of disability support.
– Proposals are in place to allow for individuals to request MAiD on the basis of mental illness.
– Palliative care provision remains inadequate.
It is of concern that the law in Canada has shown the pitfalls and unworkability of an assisted dying law, where safeguards are merely qualifying criteria that loosen over time, and the pressure on vulnerable people to access MAiD has only grown. This document lays out the growing evidence of expansion in uses of MAiD, the most concerning data collected from the annual MAiD reports, and the legislative history and proposals that indicate the weakness of so-called safeguards.
LDW Review of Evidence - Canada