IN-DEPTH: Why are MAiD deaths so high among white Canadians?

In Health Canada's most recent annual Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) report of 2024, of the 15,927 patients who disclosed their race, 96% were white — so, one has to wonder, is this some sort of trend?And if it is, what's causing it?This is what Peter Frost, an independent researcher with a PhD in anthropology, tried to find.Looking at the most recent 2024 MAiD data, most patients were elderly, with the highest age range (29%) receiving MAiD in 2024 being those aged 75 to 84..Frost points out, most older Canadians are white — but according to the 2021 census poll, the 65 to 74 age bracket was a bit less so, 86% being white, probably even less today. This is because of a shift in immigration Canada underwent in the 1960s.In 1961, Canada's population was 97% of European descent.Then as the decade continued, global immigration in Canada grew, with many non-European immigrants settling in the country, particularly in BC and Ontario.At present, an estimated 70% of Canada's population is Caucasian..With this in mind, why are white Canadians "over-euthanized"?There are a few reasons that can lead Euro-Canadians to being 'over-euthanized," according to Frost: 1. MAiD approval isn’t subject to review (currently, all cases).2. When no medical justification is needed for MAiD (Track 2 cases).3. When the MAiD requester and the physician are not bound by a shared culture and religion.4. When the broader ideological environment permits anti-white bias. .Let's begin with MAiD procedure: when a MAiD patient's death is not "reasonable foreseeable," it seems to matter more whether a patient is white. This is explained by the two tracks through which MAiD is approved: Track 1 and Track 2.Track 1 is for recipients whose deaths are "reasonably foreseeable," and Track 2 is for recipients whose deaths are not "reasonable foreseeable." In 2024, whites encompassed 95% of Track 1 deaths, and 97% of Track 2 deaths, which also have a lower median age at 75.9 — even though younger seniors tend to be less white..As Frost states, "Euro-Canadians are thus over-euthanized for reasons that run counter to the natural processes of aging and illness — the former preconditions for MAiD."Did the egg or the chicken come first? Is it the case patients requesting euthanasia tend to be just more white — or are MAiD medical practitioners approving more white patients?Practically speaking, Euro-Canadians tend to be the most individualistic racial group in the Canadian population.They are more likely to live on their own after retirement and feel socially isolated, with neither a spouse, nor children to help out — which can make them less motivated to live..This could be a reason why more white people are dying under Track 2, when death isn't near.This leads to another factor — the MAiD requests of whites being more readily approved by MAiD practitioners.If this is true, it could be due to MAiD approval not being reviewed by anyone else except MAiD practitioners.This could lead to MAiD professionals having personal biases, (like anyone has), with those biases being less constrained when there is no review of MAiD assessments — with no medical evidence required..This bias could also show up without the intention to harm anyone, one could simply have a favorable attitude towards a particular group. "For instance, a physician may be more willing to sit down and discuss alternatives to MAiD if the requester comes from the same culture, shares the same religion and is perhaps a relative."This is less likely if two people come from different backgrounds. The requester is more likely to be readily approved, not because of any animosity, but because the physician is given less time or ability to talk the requester out of it..If the physician and the MAiD patient are both Euro-Canadian, Frost suggests the physician may insist on treating the patient equally or even overcompensate in some cases by showing more concern for those of a different culture.What also can affect the number of white patients readily approved for MAiD is physicians' wish to keep their patients at a manageable level.Physicians see about 100 patients a week and are pressured to keep their caseload under a manageable level — if their desire to dissuade a patient away from MAiD isn't strong enough, approval may be inevitable for reasons of convenience.This may prompt a physician to "unload" patients who have less social or relational ties — inviting abuse of MAiD.."The system invites abuse because a wrongly euthanized person cannot lodge a complaint," states Frost."The complaint must come from a surviving family member, and this is where the individualism of Euro-Canadians may play a role."Frost then takes a look at MAiD deaths per province, each one differing in language, politics, and ethnic demographics.As previously mentioned, many global immigrants settled in BC and Ontario, while Atlantic provinces were far less likely to receive immigrants and are now the whitest areas in Canada..With this in mind, are whites overrepresented in MAiD deaths in some provinces more than others? And are those provinces the ones with the highest white populations?The answer: whites in some provinces are responsible for more MAiD deaths, but the provinces with the highest white MAiD deaths actually come from the provinces with the most demographic diversity. In 2024, Ontario had the highest percentage of white MAiD deaths, with 90% of patients being white, in comparison with 79% of the province's population over the age of 65 being white. The lowest was Alberta, with 71% of MAiD deaths being white, with 83% of the population over 65 being white..Quebec also had the second lowest number of white MAiD deaths (85%) in comparison with its white population over 65 being 92%. Frost concludes Ontario had the lowest white population, yet had was the most overrepresented in MAiD deaths in 2024."Euro-Canadians are more likely to be euthanized in those provinces where they are proportionately fewer — except for Alberta," stated Frost."Its demographics are like Ontario’s, yet the two are poles apart in terms of white over-representation in MAiD deaths.".The claim that Euro-Canadians may be less individualistic and therefore more supported by their community at large in whiter provinces due to their more traditional values may not be why these provinces have less white MAiD deaths.Poorer provinces attract fewer immigrants, and these provinces tend to be whiter, making them more culturally resistant to market forces.Although this may be true for Quebec, with their effort to preserve the French language and culture even if it means slower growth, this is not the case for Alberta. According to 2021 data, Ontario's (63% white) and Alberta's demographics are similar (67% white) in terms of their white population..To add, only 52% of Alberta residents are born in the region.Yet, it is the province with the least overrepresentation of Euro-Canadians receiving euthanasia. The answer is more religiosity among Alberta's population either — it has an average measure in that respect.Quebec is also the second least likely province to have whites over represented in MAiD, which cannot be explained through religious values — since it's the most secular province in Canada. Then how can it be explained?.Frost says, "Both may simply be less 'woke.'""They have not gone as far as other provinces in normalizing anti-white thinking, discourse and behavior. "What makes Quebec in Alberta similar is their estrangement from Canadian political culture.For different reasons, neither province is bound to Canada's current political culture — including its "anti-white bias is normal and justified.".A mistrust exists in Quebec, formed possibly by a difference in language, institutions, and a general distrust of Canadian culture, a similar mistrust Albertans have. According to a Macdonald-Laurier Institute report, public opinion on "cancel culture, critical race/history, and transgender issues" are almost the same in Canada, the UK and the US."But the report does reveal two differences: Although younger people are considerably more woke in Canada than older people, the generation gap isn’t as large as in the UK or US; and Canadians are much more trusting of journalists than Brits and Americans," Frost claims. "Both findings indicate a higher level of group conformity.".Frost cites research that shows Canadians are less confrontational and more deferential towards those in authority."Canadians may feel unhappy about the woke revolution, but they generally keep their unhappiness to themselves," claims Frost.French Canadians along with Albertans seem to be just as non-confrontational — they are just less trusting of the federal government. "They are thus more likely to challenge wokeness, which has become identified with federal policies.".Frost claims whatever the cause is — wokeness, contemporary Anglo culture, white individualism, lack of rapport between Euro-Canadians and immigrant physicians "MAiD could be the tip of the iceberg.""The anti-white bias we see in medically assisted death is probably just as present whenever and wherever a Canadian physician has to make life-or-death decisions," Frost concluded.

IN-DEPTH: Why are MAiD deaths so high among white Canadians?

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