Canada has the highest rate of medically assisted death in the world. In fact, one in every 20 Canadian deaths is now due to Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program. Also known as “voluntary euthanasia”, this program originally aimed to allow those suffering from life-threatening illness to die with dignity. The parameters were extended to include chronic illness and disability, and will be expanded further in 2027 to include mental illness. Disability advocates say that this program is failing many of the community’s most vulnerable members. Particularly those whose basic needs are not being met by the small amount of income disability benefits provide.
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The Rising Cost of Living Has Left Millions in Poverty
Recent studies show that over 11 percent of Canadians —approximately 4.5 million people — live below the poverty line. Those who suffer the most severe financial issues are disabled individuals on government benefits.
The average amount that a single person on disability benefits receives is around $1400 per month. This amount is expected to cover shelter, food, and other basic needs. Compare that to the average rent for a bachelor (studio) apartment, which is around $1500. A disabled person on benefits will also need to find a way to pay for the medications that keep them alive.
A perfect example of this is “Sarah” (who prefers to use a pseudonym). She’s a disabled woman in her late 40s who lives in a Toronto suburb. Sarah has level 2 autism and ADHD, as well as Crohn’s disease, anxiety, and depression. She suffered an adverse reaction to her second Covid vaccination, which resulted in myocarditis, cardiopulmonary edema, and a stroke. The lasting damage from her illness also caused her to develop congestive heart failure. Her complex medical needs now require constant care, and prevent her from being able to work a regular job.
Sarah relies on seven different medications to keep her alive and functional. Even with Ontario’s drug benefit program, she still has to pay over $500 out of pocket every month. Her $1400 monthly disability payout barely covers rent and food, let alone her medications. Since her parents are tired of supporting her, she has been forced into sex work to pay for her essential needs. In fact, Sarah’s own mother approved of her selling her body in this manner. When Sarah told her about what she had been reduced to in order to make ends meet, her mother’s response was: “As long as it’s not my money, I don’t care.”
Current Parameters for the MAiD Program
According to the official MAiD information pamphlet (which can be found at DyingWithDignity.ca), applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be eligible for health services funded by the federal government, or a province or territory (or during the applicable minimum period of residence or waiting period for eligibility). Visitors to Canada are not eligible for medical assistance in dying.
- Be 18 years or older and mentally competent. This means they are capable of making decisions about their health.
- Have a grievous and irremediable medical condition. This means that they have a serious and incurable illness, disease, or disability.
This excludes mental disorders until March 17, 2027. They must be in an advanced state of decline in capability that
cannot be reversed. For example, experiencing unbearable physical or mental suffering from illness, disease, disability or state of decline that cannot be relieved under conditions that the patient considers acceptable. - Make a voluntary request for MAID that is not the result of outside pressure or influence
- Give informed consent after having received all information needed to make this decision. This includes a medical diagnosis, available forms of treatment, and options to relieve suffering (including palliative care).
Dr. Naheed Dosani, a palliative care physician and health justice advocate, said in an interview with Ricochet Media that many people are turning to MAiD out of desperation. He said:
“We have seen in our public discourse many cases across Canada where people are thinking about and even pursuing MAID because they want to die because they’re not adequately being supported with the resources to live. This is concerning to me and should be concerning to every single Canadian.”
In most cases, MAiD can be arranged in as quickly as two weeks. This is in stark contrast to the months it often takes to get supportive income. Mental health and harm reduction care can also take several weeks, but inpatient care and housing can have year-long waiting lists, at least.
MAID Appears to be Easier to Get than Support for Poor or Disabled Citizens
Edmonton journalist Jeremy Appel condemned MAiD in 2024 for looking like a “dystopian end run around the cost of providing social welfare”. Considering how quickly poverty has risen in Canada in recent years, this casts a troubling light on social benefit programs. Recent studies estimate that 1 in every 196 Toronto residents is now homeless. When asked about what led to their homelessness, 44 percent of respondents said that they suffered from mental health conditions. An additional 26 percent ended up homeless due to chronic illness or other medical conditions.
Quite simply, these people’s basic needs were too expensive for the tiny amount that they received from disability benefits. That is, if they were able to receive benefits at all. It takes months for disability benefits to be approved, and countless disabled people fall short of qualifying. This leads to a terrible situation in which people are too sick or disabled to work, but not disabled enough to be taken care of.
“I’ve come to realize,” Appel shared, “that euthanasia in Canada represents the cynical endgame of social provisioning with the brutal logic of late-stage capitalism. We’ll starve you of the funding you need to live a dignified life [. . .] and if you don’t like it, why don’t you just kill yourself?”
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Assisted Suicide May Feel Like an Option to Those in Despair
Considering how much despair and hopelessness disabled people experience due to the high cost of living and low disability income, it’s unsurprising that Sarah — and countless others like her — have considered assisted suicide.
“It’s bonkers to see how easy it is to get MAiD instead of getting the support we need to live”, Sarah said. “I checked to see if I qualify, and I do because my Crohn’s disease is a chronic illness. I just have to literally get my GI Specialist to sign the papers and that would be it.”
For people whose families have made them feel like a burden, or who have little hope of receiving the support they need in a timely fashion, dying may seem like a viable option. After all, the society they live in seems to make them believe that. These are the people who are most in need of real kindness, support, and security. Nobody should be forced to choose between poverty and death.
Not in our society, not ever.
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help. There are many organizations that can offer support.
The Suicide Crisis hotline is 9-8-8 in Canada, and there are many other hotlines in Canada and the USA.
For all other countries, a full list of helplines can be found here.