MAiD in Canada

Eligibility for medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada is being expanded to include people whose sole medical condition is mental illness, starting in March 2027. As documented in my 2023 submission to the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying, I object to this expansion of MAID for several reasons.

Furthermore, the death of 26-year old Kiano Vafaeian on December 30th, 2025, serves to raise a number of serious questions about the application of MAID in Canada, including whether mental illness is already being used to justify MAID by some medical practitioners. 

At a time when Canada’s deficit and debt are massive, and access to proper health care is increasingly difficult to find, the number of people opting for MAID is growing exponentially. Since being legislated a decade ago, MAID has become the fifth-leading cause of death in the country.

One investigative journalist has recently advocated for an external review of MAID (From Exception to Routine. Why Canada’s State-Assisted Suicide Regime Demands a Human-Rights Review). Facts addressed by Sam Cooper at The Bureau support the conclusion that the legislation was enacted under a false pretence, as Justin Trudeau’s government sold MAID to the public on the basis that it was to be used in rare, end-of-life circumstances and carefully monitored. This is not what has been done. Eligibility has been expanded to include people with non-terminal conditions, and evidence suggests that socio-economic factors are driving its use by vulnerable people.

As addressed by health care scholar Sally Pipes: “Caring for patients with complex, chronic or terminal conditions is among the most expensive obligations in any health system. That creates an inherent tension in systems where the government both finances care—and decides what care is worth covering” (Forbes, April 6, 2o26).