Canada logged the fastest-growing rate of medical assistance in dying (MAID) deaths in the world, according to a new report from an Ontario-based think tank. Research from Cardus looked at global data from countries with physician-assisted death laws. Canada legalized the practice in June 2016.
The number of Canadians opting for MAID increased roughly 4.5 fold from 2017 to 2022. Download the CTV News App for breaking news alerts and video on all the top stories In its first full year in practice, 2,838 patients died by MAID.
The most recent government data shows 13,241 Canadians died by MAID in 2022, accounting for 4.1 per cent of all deaths in the country that year. “With any new medical practice we will see an increase and the reason for that is many, many fold,” said Dr.
Konia Trouton, president of the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers (CAMAP). Canada’s MAID rate is nearing that of the Netherlands, which has a global high of 5.1 per cent, according to Cardus.
The Netherlands legalized the practice in 2002. “I don't think that the data necessarily tells us exactly why, but I think it highlights that we need to take a good, hard look at what is happening,” said Cardus health program director Rebecca Vachon. “We want to make sure there aren't wrongful deaths happening.
We want to make sure that people aren't choosing MAID because they feel like they have no other choice, or they don't have adequate aid in living.” In 2022, the average age of C.