One in 20 Canadians who died last year were killed through medically assisted suicide, new government data shows.
A total of 15,343 people died through Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program in 2023, according to Canada Health’s annual report released Wednesday.
This means assisted suicide deaths made up about 4.7% of Canada’s 326,571 total deaths last year.
A total of 60,301 people have now killed themselves through the MAID program since it was legalized in 2016 — more than the population of Sarasota, Florida.
In the first year, 1,018 people died. Since then though, Canada has seen an explosion of people requesting assisted suicide. Poison is administered through their veins or orally.
Last year alone, nearly 20,000 people applied to end their lives through MAID. Only 915 people who requested assisted suicide were deemed ineligible, and nearly 500 people withdrew…
