MAiD’s Next Phase

Understanding what’s changing in Canada — and why it matters now.

Let’s get clear on what MAiD means— and what it doesn’t.

As MAiD has become more common in Canada, there is both lived experience and ongoing confusion about what it involves, who it is for, and how it is carried out.

What we are talking about:

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) is a Canadian legal term that includes both euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Euthanasia refers to the deliberate ending of a person’s life, with or without that person’s consent, in order to eliminate suffering.
Assisted suicide refers to a situation where a third person provides the means for someone to end their own life.

MAiD is different from other care options, including:

Respecting a person’s decision to refuse or discontinue treatment
Letting someone die naturally by withholding or withdrawing medical treatments when its burdens outweigh its benefits;
Providing medication to relieve pain and suffering at the end of life

Who does MAiD Impact ?

MAiD involves more than individual decisions. It also affects the people, professions, and systems connected to care.

Patients, families, and caregivers who are part of the decision making process and its broader impacts
Healthcare providers including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics who may be directly or indirectly involved, including those with conscience based objections
Mental health professionals particularly as eligibility is expected to expand, within a system already facing high demand and limited access
Students and future healthcare workers who are entering a system where MAiD is an established and evolving part of practice
Communities where conversations around care, support, and suffering continue to evolve

Why are people choosing MAiD?

Doctors and experts tell us that all physical pain at the end of life can be managed with proper care. MAiD is rarely chosen because of pain.

According to the Government of Canada, those who request it often name:

Loss of ability to participate in meaningful activities: 95.5%
Feeling like a burden: 45.1%
Emotional distress: 38.5%
Loneliness or isolation: 21.1%

This rapid growth makes Canada a cautionary example for the rest of the world. The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) is right to call for Canada to roll back its expansion of euthanasia, or MAiD. This also reinforces the fact that MAiD is an election issue in Canada on which every federal political party leader should take a clear stand.

Source: Fifth Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada, 2023. Section 3.6 Nature of suffering.

How has MAiD changed?

MAiD in Canada has evolved in stages:

2015

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that laws prohibiting euthanasia and assisted suicide violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
2016

The Parliament of Canada passes laws that permit people to request the ending of their life, and for doctors to provide it.
2021

Eligibility expanded beyond end-of-life cases to include individuals living with serious and incurable conditions, including chronic illness and disability, even when death is not reasonably foreseeable.
2027

Eligibility is set to expand further to include individuals whose sole underlying condition is mental illness.

Canada is approaching another decision point.

Originally allowed only when death was imminent, MAiD now includes people with chronic illness and people with disabilities

Current federal law is set to allow MAiD for individuals whose only medical condition is mental illness beginning March 17, 2027. At the same time, there is active discussion and proposed legislation that would pause or prevent this expansion.

This means the direction of MAiD in Canada is not fully settled.

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Why This Tour Matters Now

This next phase raises important and complex questions.

Mental illness is different from many physical conditions. It can fluctuate, improve, and in many cases, recovery is possible with the right care and support.

At the same time, there are ongoing challenges in Canada’s mental health system, including access to care, long wait times, and uneven services across regions.

These realities raise broader questions:

How do we distinguish between a desire to die and a symptom of illness?
What safeguards are needed to protect vulnerable individuals?
What role does access to care play in these decisions?
How do we support people who are suffering — especially in moments of crisis?

Many Canadians are still becoming aware of how much MAiD has evolved, and what this next step could mean.

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MAiD Deaths in Canada (2016–2023)

Over 60,000 MAiD deaths have been reported in Canada since legalization, representing 4.7% of all deaths in 2023.
In 2024, 5.1% of people in Canada who died received MAID, a small (0.4%) increase from 2023.

MAiD for individuals not at end of life.

In 2021, MAiD expanded to include individuals with serious and incurable conditions whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable, such as those living with chronic illness or disability.

More women than men receive MAiD in these cases and nearly half of recipients receive disability support services

Source: Health Canada, Annual Reports on Medical Assistance in Dying