State-sanctioned assisted suicides in Canada reached a record high, with over 15,000 such deaths recorded in 2023. SPUC says that Canada offers a “clear warning” of where the UK is heading if the Leadbeater Bill, which passed a first vote last month, is approved.
15,343 people were killed by Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada in 2023, a record high after the national rate increased by 16% compared with the previous year.
MAiD was legalised in 2016. The most recent death toll was published officially this month by Health Canada in its annual MAiD report.
Assisted suicide now accounts for almost one in 20 deaths in Canada. The average age of death of MAiD recipients was 77.6 years.
Cancer was the most cited medical condition of recipients at 64.1%. Neurological conditions were also a common underlying cause, including dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
The Canadian province of Quebec, where 22% of the country’s population lives, has an especially high proportion of MAiD deaths at 37%.
Loneliness and being a burden cited as reasons to die
Canada’s MAiD law has two pathways:
Track 1 is for individuals whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable, typically involving terminal illness, and has a minimum 10-day waiting period.
Track 2 is for individuals with an irremediable condition but no foreseeable death, and it has a minimum 90-day reflection period.
The most cited “nature of suffering” in approved MAiD cases was loss of ability to engage in meaningful activities at 95.5% (Track 1) and 96.3% (Track 2).
45.1% (Track 1) and 49.2% (Track 2) of cases cited being a burden on family, friends or caregivers.
21.1% (Track 1) and 47.1% (Track 2) cited social isolation or loneliness.
“Inadequate pain control” was only ranked fourth overall at 54.4% (Track 1) and 58.5% (Track 2).
Canadians killed in funeral homes
Most MAiD deaths took place in private residences (37.8%), followed by hospitals (32.7%) and palliative care facilities (21.8%). Of the remaining 7.7% that took place in other settings, some occurred at “funeral homes”, though no further details were given.
The Annual Report noted that “interest in MAID has been growing as more Canadians become aware of it, fuelling concerns across the country that demand for MAID may outstrip the supply of willing and available providers”.
4.1% of MAiD “practitioners” assisted in the deaths of 31 or more patients in 2023, amounting to 35.1% of Track 1 and 28.6% of Track 2 cases respectively, leading the report to conclude “that MAiD is becoming an area of focused expertise for some”.
“Increasingly ghoulish”
Daniel Frampton, SPUC’s Editorial Officer, said: “We can see in Canada how quickly assisted suicide laws impose a culture of death on ordinary citizens, some of whom are being killed in funeral homes. Despite its seemingly innocent name, MAiD appears increasingly ghoulish.
“The fact that some doctors are dedicating themselves to ending patients’ lives should be a significant cause for concern. However, it is encouraging that many doctors seem to want no part in MAiD.
“This report explodes the myth that assisted suicide is compassionate. Indeed, it’s a great scandal that so many Canadians are being ushered into cold coffins for reasons of loneliness and fear of being a burden. No one should be forced into making such a terrible decision, which is really no choice at all.
“It’s horrific that over 15,000 Canadians were killed by MAiD in 2023. It sends a clear warning to the UK, which is considering its own assisted suicide legislation. MPs and MSPs must wake up to the mortal threat posed by these laws.”
Leadbeater Bill can still be defeated
On 29 November, Westminster MPs voted 330 to 275 in favour of Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. SPUC called the result a “disappointing” decision that “puts the lives of vulnerable citizens at risk”.
The Bill will now move on to the committee and report stages, but not before April. After more scrutiny and potential amendments, it will be subject to another Commons vote at a third reading. If it is passed, it will be voted on by the House of Lords.
The Leadbeater Bill would legalise assisted suicide for terminally ill adults over 18 who have six months to live. SPUC and other groups have listed various dangers and flaws in the Bill, and campaigned hard against it.
“The fight is far from over”, SPUC said. “There are deep flaws in this Bill, and we are confident that this will become more and more clear as the text is further scrutinised.”
