The report, released Tuesday, says assisted deaths grew 31.2 per cent between 2021 and 2022. In addition, MAID deaths were 4.1 per cent of all deaths in Canada last year. A new Health Canada report says the number of medically assisted deaths in 2022 was more than 30 per cent higher than the year prior.
It says 44,958 people have received medically assisted deaths since the introduction of federal legislation in 2016. Downie also said that if the only people accessing MAID are those with a "grievous and irremediable medical condition, which is what the evidence shows, then it's not a bad thing to have more of that."Vachon also criticized the portion of the report that focuses on palliative care, and called for greater investments so patients don't feel the need to request "premature deaths.
The report does not provide any metrics on the quality of palliative care, but does say that 87.5 per cent of MAID recipients who did not receive palliative care — 2,250 people — were reported to have access to the service. Jocelyn Downie, a professor at Dalhousie University who researches end-of-life law, said MAID can be offered to eligible people while other investments in care are made.
Gaind also said the report contains no data related to equity and diversity issues or marginalized populations. According to the report, that information will be included in the 2024 report.