Most Canadians either know someone who has died through MAiD or know someone who plans to. Churches are having to address the matter since many professed Christians have not been provided with a biblical perspective on the matter and, therefore, assume it is an acceptable means to end suffering and hasten an inevitable death.

Canada has become well-known around the world for its program of euthanasia. Depending upon perspective, some believe this makes Canada laudably progressive and others shockingly regressive. Though it is only relatively recently that euthanasia has become legalized in Canada, it has quickly surged to become the fourth or fifth most common cause of death. In this article, I want to simply lay out some of the facts about euthanasia in Canada and suggest where it is headed.

In Canada, what used to be termed “assisted suicide” or “physician-assisted dying” now goes by “Medical Assistance in Dying,” which is shortened to the acronym MAiD (or MAID). This is the preferred term for various reasons, not least that it sounds harmless and helpful, that it frames euthanasia as a medical procedure, and that it suggests the procedure merely assists in a process that is already underway.

“Euthanasia is the practice of administering a lethal drug and dose to a patient by a physician. The lethal combination of drugs is injected intravenously. The express aim of this action by the doctor is to cause the patient’s death. Euthanasia is ‘voluntary’ when it is requested by the patient; it is ‘non-voluntary’ when it is administered to an incapacitated patient; it is ‘involuntary’ when it is administered against the wishes of the person.” To this point, MAiD in Canada is legal only when it is voluntary, but, as I explain below, that may soon change. (Link)

MAiD first became legal in Canada in 2016. At that time, it was available only to those whose natural death was reasonably foreseeable and who wished to be relieved of unbearable suffering. It was expanded in 2021 to be made available to those whose natural death was not reasonably foreseeable. These two avenues are now referred to as track 1 and track 2. The great majority of those who die this way (96%) are made eligible through track 1.

To be eligible for MAiD, a person must: be eligible for government-funded health insurance in Canada; be 18 years of age or older and have decision-making capacity; have a grievous and irremediable condition; have made a voluntary request for MAiD that was not a result of external pressure; give informed consent to receive MAiD after having received all information needed to make this decision, including a medical diagnosis, available forms of treatment, and options to relieve suffering (including palliative care). To have a “grievous and irremediable medical condition,” a person must: have a serious illness, disease, or disability; be in an advanced state of decline that cannot be reversed; experience unbearable physical or mental suffering from an illness, disease, disability, or state of decline that cannot be relieved under conditions that the person considers acceptable.

A significant majority of Canadians strongly or somewhat support MAiD. Merely 13% strongly or somewhat oppose it. The most common justifications are dignity and autonomy, so that those who are ill or who otherwise wish to die ought to be able to die with dignity (rather than suffering the worst effects of their illness) and ought to be able to choose the time and place of their death. As I have argued elsewhere, euthanasia is an intuitive good to most Canadians. (Link)

Of those who receive MAiD, the vast majority are Caucasian (around 96%, compared to 67% of the population) and the average age is 76 years old. More women than men die this way (57% vs 43%). (Link)

As of the end of 2024, around 76,000 Canadians had died via MAiD. The annual growth rate is currently around 7%, but its legalization is still recent enough that the numbers have not stabilized. The Baby Boomer generation is increasingly reaching the age where many people pursue MAiD, so there is good reason to believe the rate will increase substantially. At some point around the middle of 2026, Canada’s 100,000th person will be euthanized. Canada has probably had more deaths by euthanasia than any other country in the world. (Link)

In 2024, Canada was scheduled to expand MAiD to those whose sole condition is mental illness. However, because the government had not yet satisfactorily created appropriate safeguards, the implementation date was delayed until March 2027. Most people believe it is likely that eligibility will, indeed, expand at that time. For now, the sticking point is the matter of gaining consent from those who suffer from mental disorders.

One of the reasons most often offered to justify the expansion of euthanasia to those with mental health issues is that without it, people may kill themselves. (Link) (Link)

The Province of Alberta has recently put forward a bill that will restrict MAiD in Alberta to its current limitations, prohibit its promotion in medical facilities, permit conscientious objection by doctors and hospitals, and establish better oversight of the program. (Link)

MAiD accounts for between 5% and 6% of Canadian deaths. However, MAiD is not permitted to be officially listed as a cause of death. Rather, the official cause of death is the underlying ailment that made the individual eligible for MAiD. There is no clarity yet on how a cause of death will be listed when the underlying cause may be non-deadly, like depression.

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