To truly understand the impact of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in Canada, we must ask the question: what does the average MAiD patient look like?MAiD was made to ensure Canada's "laws reflect Canadians’ needs, protect those who may be vulnerable, and support autonomy and freedom of choice."At least, this is what the feds claim.The laws that prohibited MAiD in Canada were revisited by the Supreme Court back in 2015, when "the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in Carter v. Canada that parts of the Criminal Code would need to change to be consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms."Then, in 2016, Canada created its MAiD provisions, making it legal..Looking at the most recent statistics from 2024, we can get a better picture of the demographics of people receiving MAiD.MAiD practitioners are required to request information from patients "respecting race, Indigenous identity and disability in the context of a MAID request, if the person consents to the collection of this information."In 2024, 16,499 people in Canada died by MAiD.Individuals from the lowest income quintile (defined in 2024 as an average of $30,415 in after-tax income), made up 27.1% overall of MAiD cases.This income bracket had the most MAiD cases, with 23.7% under Track 1 and 28.3% under Track 2..Under Track 1, patients' "natural deaths" must be "reasonably foreseeable."In 2024, 95.6% of medically assisted suicide dying fell under Track 1.Under Track 2, individuals who received MAiD are "assessed as having a natural death that was not 'reasonably foreseeable." In 2024, 4.4% of MAiD patients were classified under this track.The second lowest income bracket had the second highest share, making up an overall 22% of MAiD cases in 2024..The highest income bracket, those with an average disposable income of $212,541, had the least overall MAiD cases in 2024, at 15%.Looking at race, 15,927 of the 16,499 people who received MAiD in 2024 were Caucasian (95.6%). The feds state, compared "to the overall population of Canada, approximately 70% of people in Canada identified as Caucasian in the most recent Census."The second most common race to receive MAiD was East Asian, accounting for 1.6%, or 264 patients in 2024..The amount of female to male MAiD patients was similar, under Track 1, where 50.8% of patients were male and 49.2% were female.While under Track 2, things differed slightly, with females making up a higher share, 55.6%, compared to 44.4% male patients.Amongst age groups, individuals aged 85 and older received MAiD the most under Track 1, at 32.4%, however, they did not lead under Track 2.Under Track 2, the age group 75-84 years old was the highest, at 28.6% of MAiD cases under Track 2..As to how many MAiD cases were due to loneliness and social isolation, this is what the feds say: "Isolation and loneliness are known to have serious impacts on physical and mental health, quality of life and longevity."According to the 2024 Ageing in Canada Survey, the National Institute on Ageing found 2 in 10 (19%) people in Canada aged 50 years or older were very lonely, 40% were somewhat lonely, and 43% were at risk of social isolation.Under Track 2, people are more likely to report loneliness than under Track 1."People receiving MAiD under Track 2 have often lived with their medical condition for many years."."Meanwhile, it has been found that people with long-term health conditions are more likely to experience episodic and chronic loneliness and social isolation than those without," stated the feds.In 2024, out of all the people who died in Canada that year, 5.1% died from MAiD.
