Rebecca Vachon: Canadians support a fantasy version of MAID, not its reality

The report tabled Wednesday by the special joint committee of senators and MPs contains a single recommendation: “That the Government of Canada amend the Criminal Code to indefinitely exclude persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness from eligibility for medical assistance in dying.” Photo by Getty Images

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While public consensus can be reassuring, we don’t have it when it comes to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). With the 10th anniversary of MAID’s legalization this week, the data shows that  public support for MAiD is narrower and softer than it may at first seem.

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For instance, if you believe MAID recipients must be dying imminently to be eligible, if you believe patients must try medically effective treatment before being approved for MAID, and if you believe MAID is only for exceptional or last resort situations, you’re far from alone — this, broadly speaking, is what a majority of Canadians support.

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The problem? That’s not actually what the law on MAID requires.

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An academic study found most Canadians could not actually correctly answer questions about MAID. A majority agreed with MAID for exceptional situations and after treatment options have been exhausted. The law, however, does not require patients to have a terminal condition and only requires that patients be informed of or offered alternatives or treatments. The result is tragic cases such as Kiano Vafaeian, a 26-year old with mental health challenges who doctor-shopped until he found someone willing to end his life.

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Take that background into account when considering new polling data from the Angus Reid Institute (ARI), which generally points to ongoing support for MAID but also finds a strong majority agreeing that the government should have to demonstrate adequate housing, income, and disability care before MAID is offered to someone living with a disability. Clearly, the Canadian public believes MAID should be used as an exceptional option — one that is only appropriate when someone truly has adequate care and living conditions already in place.

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Likewise, previous ARI data has also shown Canadians have concerns, particularly among persons living with severe disabilities, about how inadequate care might influence vulnerable Canadians to opt for MAID.

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The data may also reflect an increased discomfort with the expanded version of MAID created in 2021, which Canadians are becoming increasingly aware of due to heartbreaking media reports and other disclosures. Comparing the recent ARI poll with past data shows support for MAID for those without a “reasonably foreseeable death” has dropped by 10 percentage points.

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This creates a challenge for our federal government as they consider, for a third time, whether to move forward with the planned 2027 expansion of MAID for those whose only condition is mental illness, something that more than half of Canadians polled by ARI did not know was coming. A report was tabled Wednesday by a special joint committee of senators and MPs contains a single recommendation: “That the Government of Canada amend the Criminal Code to indefinitely exclude persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness from eligibility for medical assistance in dying. Members of Parliament have until July 11 to provide thoughts on the committee’s recommendation.