People in Canada are having their lives ended by assisted dying on the same day that requests are made. An official report by the Chief Coroner of Ontario’s Medical Assistance in Dying Death Review Committee highlighted that, in 2023, 65 people in Ontario had their lives ended by Canada’s assisted suicide and euthanasia program on the same day that they made their requests to do so. A further 154 people had their lives ended the day after their request was made. Canada’s original assisted suicide and euthanasia law, known as Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), passed in 2016, required a 10-day waiting period between requesting assisted dying and being given assistance to end one’s life.
