A Snapshot of Monitoring and Oversight of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada

Authors

  • Eliana Close, PhD Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Faculty of Business and Law, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane (Meanjin), Australia Author
  • Stefanie Green, MD Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Faculty of Medicine, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC Author
  • Jacquie Lemaire, MSc Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58931/cjom.2025.119

Abstract

Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) has become a significant part of Canada’s end-of-life landscape since the passage of Bill C-14 in 2016 and the law’s subsequent evolution through Bill C-7 in 2021. In 2023, 15,343 people accessed MAiD, accounting for 4.7% of deaths nationally. Most of these cases (95.9%, n=14,721 deaths) involved individuals whose natural death was reasonably foreseeable (Track 1), while the remaining 4.1% (n=622) involved individuals whose death was not reasonably foreseeable (Track 2).

Monitoring and oversight are central to ensuring Canada’s MAiD system is transparent and accountable, and play a fundamental role in building public confidence. Monitoring provides important data on a range of factors, including who is accessing MAiD, underlying medical conditions, and clinician participation. Oversight evaluates compliance with the law. Both monitoring and oversight can support high-quality patient care and quality improvement through education and sharing information.

Author Biographies

  • Eliana Close, PhD, Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Faculty of Business and Law, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane (Meanjin), Australia

    Dr. Close is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Law at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia. Originally from Alberta, Eliana earned a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Psychology at the University of Calgary, a law degree from Oxford University, and a PhD from Queensland University of Technology. She practiced as a Crown Prosecutor in Alberta prior to entering academia. Eliana’s research over the past decade has focused on end-of-life law, policy, and practice. From 2020–2025 she led a Canadian Case study on medical assistance in dying (MAiD) for the Australian Research Council Future Fellowship project, Optimal Regulation of Voluntary Assisted Dying.

  • Stefanie Green, MD, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Faculty of Medicine, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC

    Dr. Green is a MAiD practitioner in Victoria, BC Canada. She is the Founding President of the Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Providers (CAMAP) and has worked in teaching, research, curriculum and guideline development. Dr. Green is clinical faculty at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria. She is an experienced public speaker with a TEDx talk and is the author of This Is Assisted Dying, a memoir about her first year providing assisted dying in Canada.

  • Jacquie Lemaire, MSc

    Jacquie Lemaire holds a Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences from Queen's University and a Masters in Health Administration from the University of Ottawa. Before retiring, Jacquie had a 35-year career in the public service, beginning at the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and subsequently working 25 years in various roles at Health Canada. Her last 10 years have been dedicated to supporting medical assistance in dying (MAiD) delivery in Canada, including legislation, regulations, reporting and federal/ provincial/territorial. Notwithstanding her employment history, the views, opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this article are strictly those of Jacquie in her personal capacity as contributing author and do not represent Health Canada.

References

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Published

2025-12-16

Issue

Volume 1, Issue 1, Fall 2025

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Articles