Canada's medical assistance in dying (MAID) framework has expanded far beyond its original intent, raising critical questions about how the nation addresses suffering, argues Krista Carr, chief executive officer of Inclusion Canada.
The Evolution of MAID in Canada
When Canada legalized MAID in 2016, the public debate centered on individuals facing the end of life and experiencing intolerable suffering. For many Canadians, that remains their understanding of the law today. However, Canada's MAID framework has evolved significantly since then.
In 2021, Parliament expanded the law through Bill C-7, creating two pathways for assisted death. The first pathway applies to people whose natural death is imminent and reasonably foreseeable. The second pathway, known as "Track 2," allows separate access to MAID for individuals with disabilities who are not dying.
Track 2 Raises Concerns
Track 2 fundamentally changed the scope of assisted dying in Canada. It means assisted suicide may be available to people living with disabilities even when they are not nearing the end of life. Thousands of Canadians have already accessed MAID through this pathway. Between 2021 and 2024, a total of 2,050 people died from Track 2 MAID.
This shift raises profound questions about how Canada responds to suffering. People with disabilities and disability organizations across the country have warned that Track 2 creates serious risks. Many individuals seeking MAID have described suffering related not to medical conditions alone but to poverty, housing insecurity, social isolation, or lack of disability supports.
Social Failures, Not Medical Ones
These are not medical failures; they are social failures. For people with intellectual disabilities and many others in the disability community, the concern is straightforward: No one should feel that assisted suicide is easier to access than the supports needed to live with dignity.
Canada continues to struggle with persistent gaps in disability supports. Many people with disabilities live in poverty. Accessible, affordable housing remains scarce. Access to mental health care and community supports is lacking across the country.
A Troubling Message
Against this broken backdrop, expanding assisted death beyond end-of-life situations risks sending a troubling message — that the suffering created by social inequality can be addressed through assisted suicide rather than social reform.
Now Parliament is once again debating whether to expand MAID further to also include mental illness. But what happened to suicide prevention? Are people with disabilities not entitled to the same suicide prevention as everyone else?
The Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD), comprised of MPs and senators (including Saskatchewan MP Jeremy Patzer and Senator Pamela Wallin), has heard testimony from witnesses against the expansion of MAID to those whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness.
Canadians deserve a clearer conversation about MAID — one that acknowledges the profound ethical and social implications of a policy that risks replacing genuine support with a hastened death.
