1 in 20 Canadian deaths were from medically-assisted suicide in 2023: report

Medically assisted suicide accounted for nearly 1 in 20 of all deaths in Canada in 2023, according to the country's fifth annual report on euthanasia since its legalization in 2016. The report revealed that approximately 15,300 people underwent euthanasia last year following approved applications, 4.7 percent of the roughly 320,000 total deaths in the country.

The data, released by Health Canada, showed that the median age of individuals who chose assisted suicide was over 77. Around 96 percent of these cases involved patients whose deaths were deemed “reasonably foreseeable” due to conditions such as cancer. However, a smaller number of cases included individuals who were not terminally ill but sought euthanasia due to medical conditions significantly impacting their quality of life.

Canada’s assisted suicide laws, among the most expansive in the world, have drawn global attention and criticism. Similar legislation has been passed in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Austria in recent years. Under Canadian law, consenting patients with serious medical conditions can request euthanasia from healthcare providers, and their eligibility must be confirmed by two independent healthcare professionals, a report by the BBC noted.

The data released on Wednesday by the Canadian government also noted that medically assisted suicide increased by nearly 16 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. Quebec recorded the highest rate of euthanasia, accounting for about 37 percent of all deaths despite comprising just 22 percent of Canada’s population.

Concerns persist about the application of assisted suicide laws in Canada. A recent report from Ontario’s Coroner’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Death Review Committee highlighted a troubling trend that nearly half of the individuals who pursued MAID despite not having a “reasonably foreseeable” death came from Ontario’s poorest areas.

Critics have also voiced concerns about cases where patients were offered assisted dying despite not being near the end of their natural lives. Health Canada has defended its practices, emphasizing that the country’s Criminal Code imposes “strict eligibility” criteria for assisted suicide.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been a vocal supporter of the legislation of MAID in Canada, viewing it as an issue of individual autonomy and has pushed for its legalization.