Most of us can agree that Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying program, better known by the infamous term MAiD, has gone too far.But maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what it was intended to do from the beginning.It was meant to go too far. "Because what happens when you open the door to killing?""You don't get to close it or decide what walks through."This is what Kelsi Sheren, a Canadian podcaster and author, said the consequences of MAiD truly were while on Jillian Michaels' podcast.She also revealed that Canada would save a monstrous amount of money from the killing off of palliative care patients in hospitals. According to a 2025 study from the Journal of Death and Dying, the feds could save up to $1.273 trillion in healthcare costs by 2047 through MAiD.The study said this would involve killing off an estimated 2.6 million people, including individuals with "severe mental health issues, [the] homeless, drug users, retired elderly, and Indigenous communities."Insane, I know..It seems they will be moving toward killing anyone considered burdensome to the healthcare system.This is because you can't strictly control dying; the lines are too blurry.Even with the current MAiD provisions, which do not include mental illness (or so the feds claim), this will become a part of MAiD come 2027.Under the current provisions, to qualify for MAiD, an individual must be 18 years or older, mentally competent, have a "grievous and irremediable medical condition," make a voluntary request, and provide informed consent.But this is not exactly what I saw while sifting through the 2025 reports by the Ontario MAiD Death Review Committee (OMDRC), which reviewed concerning MAiD cases over the past year.Take Mr. 6B, a male in his 70s who was diagnosed with an unidentifiable cognitive decline.Mr. 6B reported he experienced a subjective cognitive decline one year prior to accessing MAiD.This affected him psychologically, as Mr. 6B was an intelligent man with a professional background, relying on his ability to think in-depth. Undergoing multiple cognitive assessments over a year, he was finally diagnosed with dementia and began taking medication.Three months before MAiD, Mr. 6B was reassessed and his dementia had worsened, with deficits in delayed recall..In the following months, he developed psychiatric symptoms associated with dementia, including nighttime agitation. Through all of this, Mr. 6B experienced psychological suffering related to the loss of his independence, his inability to engage in meaningful activities, and the anticipatory fear of losing more of his cognitive abilities. Assessed by a family physician who was also a MAiD provider, and after multiple follow-ups, Mr. 6B was determined to be eligible for MAiD.Here's the rub.Mr. B was still in a mild stage of dementia, experiencing functional impairments in essential daily activities.His suffering was primarily psychological.A secondary MAiD assessor also confirmed Mr. B was eligible.Both assessors confirmed Mr. B's death was "reasonably foreseeable."Mr. B clearly did not want to experience further decline in his abilities — it was the fear of what would come next that pushed him toward MAiD.And the feds, of course, provided it to him, granting his wish for a premature death..OMDRC members highlighted Mr. 6B was in the early stages of dementia, noting his functional and cognitive capabilities were retained, and stated his trajectory of decline may span years. This is what MAiD does; it relieves suffering, which is internal.Internal suffering will always be, to some degree, subjective.Even obvious physical suffering brings subjective psychological suffering, like in the case of Mr. 6B, whose psychological suffering came from his impending cognitive decline.This can even cause the worsening of physical symptoms.Like in the case of Mr. B, who was living with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects an individual's ability to move and is usually caused by damage to the developing brain before birth.Mr. B was wheelchair-bound — but could independently control his wheelchair and transfer himself.He lived in a long-term care facility (LTCF) due to his advanced care needs and had been living there for many years.His life, partly due to his disability, was characterized by much isolation..Mr. B expressed this "profound psychosocial suffering and loneliness" which he attributed to a lack of relationships and community.This is an experience he claimed to have had throughout his entire life.His life seemed empty — and due to his profound suffering, six to eight weeks prior to Mr. B requesting MAiD, he decided to stop eating and drinking.This choice led to a severe physical decline — making him eligible for MAiD.To those who would like to look sympathetic toward psychological suffering, this is the easiest way to do it: give them a way out to "end their suffering."This is a double win — they look like a good person and save the feds loads of money.Maybe MAiD was made to have a bigger impact on how dying happens in Canada than is visible beneath the surface. It is one of the leading causes of death in the country, after all, accounting for 16,499 deaths, or 5% of all deaths in 2024.Perhaps, however twisted it may seem, the feds knew they were saving cash through MAiD. They just didn't want the public to know — until it was too late.
