MANILA, Philippines – Canada recorded 16,499 deaths through its Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program in 2024, the highest annual total since the country legalized euthanasia in 2016. The latest federal report has reignited debate over the country’s rapidly expanding assisted-dying regime, with disability rights groups warning that vulnerable citizens increasingly feel pressured toward ending their lives.
The 2024 figure marks a 6.9% increase from the previous year, CBN reported. MAID deaths now account for one in every 20 deaths nationwide, according to Health Canada.
Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel defended the program, saying the government remains committed to upholding “personal autonomy and freedom of choice” while ensuring safeguards for vulnerable people.
But advocates and some medical professionals argue the numbers reveal deeper systemic issues.
Non-terminal cases rising in Canada
Although MAID was originally designed for people facing “reasonable, foreseeable” death due to terminal illness, the report shows that around 4% of approvals in 2024 involved individuals who were not terminally ill.
Applicants cited a range of motivations. These include feeling like a burden to family or caregivers (nearly 50%); and loneliness or social isolation (around 23%).
Advocates say these social factors point to failures in Canada’s health and social welfare systems.
“This is what happens when disability support systems collapse,” said one disability rights group quoted by CBN News. “People are choosing MAID not because they want to die, but because they cannot afford to live with dignity.”
Disabled Canadians ‘feel threatened’
The rising number of non-terminal MAID cases has heightened anxiety in disability communities.
Some groups say the system now places vulnerable people in a position where euthanasia appears easier to access than social support or palliative care.
Critics point to several high-profile cases in recent years where individuals sought MAID due to poverty, housing insecurity, or lack of adequate medical support.
“What used to be an option for end-of-life suffering is becoming a solution to social suffering,” one advocate said.
Planned expansion fuels controversy
The federal government is scheduled to broaden MAID eligibility to include those with mental illness by 2027, following several delays amid public backlash. Policymakers are also studying whether “mature minors” should be granted access.
Bioethicists warn that Canada risks becoming an outlier globally, with one of the most permissive euthanasia systems in the world.
“The trend is deeply concerning,” said an ethics researcher. “We’re seeing a system where people who are not dying are choosing death because society has failed to provide alternatives.”
A national debate far from over
As MAID deaths continue to climb, Canada faces mounting pressure to reassess the program’s safeguards. Lawmakers are encountering a growing divide: supporters view the system as a pillar of personal freedom, while critics argue it has become a moral hazard that places the vulnerable at risk.
For now, disability groups say the numbers speak for themselves.
“When 16,499 people die by assisted death in one year, that’s not autonomy,” one advocate said. “That’s a national crisis.”
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