A right-to-die row is raging in Canada. In February, controversy forced the government to delay a measure widening access to assisted suicide for people with mental health conditions.
Among a handful of countries permitting Medical-Assistance in Dying (MAID), Canada legalized the practice in 2016 – first for those with terminal diseases and then, in 2021, for sufferers of chronic but non-life threatening physical conditions. More than 13,000 people chose to die the following year – 4 per cent of all deaths in Canada – with an average age of 77.
