Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is defined as the administration or prescription of a substance to a person that causes their death, at their request and after having met specific criteria. In Canada, federal legislation was introduced in 2016 to allow individuals who are suffering from a serious and incurable illness, disease or disability to apply for and, if eligible, receive MAID. Today, Statistics Canada is releasing data on MAID requests and on those who received MAID in 2021. Health Canada, the federal department responsible for the monitoring of MAID, has published detailed findings in their Third Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying, 2021.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).