RED FM News Desk
December 24, 2025
Nearly a decade after Canada legalized medical assistance in dying (MAID), the scale of its use is prompting renewed debate about whether the system has expanded too far. Since MAID became legal in 2016, a total of 76,475 Canadians have died through the program. Today, about one in 20 deaths in Canada involves MAID, making it a far more common end-of-life option than originally envisioned.
In 2024 alone, 16,499 people died by MAID the highest annual total to date even as the year-over-year growth rate began to slow. Supporters argue the numbers reflect long-standing public support and a growing, aging population. Critics, however, say MAID has shifted from being an exceptional last-resort measure to what some describe as an overly accessible “death therapy,” raising concerns about safeguards, consent, and whether people are choosing MAID due to gaps in health and social care.
Oversight data highlights both reassurance and concern. In Ontario, all MAID deaths are reviewed after the fact by the Office of the Chief Coroner. Of the 4,356 MAID deaths in Ontario in 2024, 88 per cent met all legislative requirements. However, review committees have flagged issues including loose interpretations of safeguards, inconsistent capacity assessments, limited exploration of alternatives to relieve suffering, and potential risks of coercion. Since 2016, 13 MAID practitioners have been referred by the coroner’s office to professional regulatory colleges.
Canada’s MAID rates now exceed several countries where assisted dying has been legal for decades. MAID accounted for 5.1 per cent of all deaths nationally, compared with 3.6 per cent in Belgium, and is approaching the 5.8 per cent seen in the Netherlands. Quebec, at 7.9 per cent of all deaths, has one of the highest rates in the world. In 2024, 732 Canadians received MAID under so-called “Track 2” provisions, meaning their natural death was not reasonably foreseeable.
The debate is expected to intensify as Canada considers further expansion, including MAID for mental disorders, currently slated for 2027, and advance requests for people with degenerative diseases. While polls show strong public support for these options, critics warn they raise difficult ethical questions about consent and timing. Supporters counter that MAID remains one of the most scrutinized and regulated end-of-life practices in the health-care system and argue that rising numbers reflect demand, not failure in a system that many Canadians still overwhelmingly support.
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