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Saskatchewan euthanasia deaths jumped over 30% from 2022 to 2023: data

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From LifeSiteNews

By Alex Schadenberg

The Saskatchewan Health Authority reported to the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition that there were 344 assisted deaths in 2023, up from 257 in 2022, representing an increase of over 30 percent in just one year.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is wondering why Canada’s province of Saskatchewan had a greater than 25 percent increase in euthanasia deaths in 2023.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority reported to the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition that there were 344 assisted deaths in 2023, up from 257 in 2022, which represents a 33 percent increase in just one year.

Bar graph showing the increase in euthanasia deaths in Saskatchewan

On July 8, 2024, we published an article estimating that there were approximately 15,280 euthanasia deaths nationwide in 2023, a 15.4% increase based on data from Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta and Nova Scotia.

A graph showing the estimated number of euthanasia deaths in Canada

Here is how the numbers add up:

The B.C. Medical Assistance in Dying 2023 report stated that there were 2,767 reported assisted deaths, up 10 percent from the 2,515 in 2022.

CBC Radio Canada published an article on March 9, 2024 stating that in 2023 in Quebec there were 5,686 reported deaths, representing 7.3 percent of all deaths in the province and a 17 percent increase from 2022. This represents the highest euthanasia rate in the world. The Radio Canada report was based on the Quebec euthanasia deaths between January 1 – December 31, 2023.

The Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario released the December 2023 “Medical Assistance in Dying” (MAiD) data indicating that there were 4,641 reported euthanasia deaths in 2023, a 18 percent increase from the 3,934 reported euthanasia deaths in 2022.

The Alberta Health Services reports that there were 977 reported assisted deaths in 2023, which was up by more than 18 percent from the 836 reported assisted deaths in 2022.

The Nova Scotia Medical Assistance in Dying data indicates that there were 342 reported assisted deaths in 2023 which was up by more than 25 percent from 272 in 2022.

An article published by Global News, which may only be preliminary data, indicated that there were 236 reported Manitoba assisted deaths in 2023, which was up by 6 percent from 223 in 2022.

According to the data from Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, there were 14,757 assisted deaths in 2023 (in those provinces), a 15.7 percent from the 12,747 assisted deaths in 2022 (in those provinces).

Since the total number of Canadian assisted deaths in 2022 was 13,241, we estimate that there were approximately 15,280 Canadian assisted deaths in 2023.

Reprinted with permission from Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

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MAiD

Over 40% of people euthanized in Ontario lived in poorest parts of the province: government data

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From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Statistics from the Ontario Coroner’s Medical Assistance in Dying Death Review Committee show that citizens living in the poorest areas of the province are significantly overrepresented in euthanasia death figures.

Statistics from the Ontario Coroner’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) Death Review Committee show that citizens living in impoverished areas are killed by euthanasia at a disproportionate rate.

According to the report, over 40 percent of those euthanized in Ontario live in the poorest parts of the province despite the fact that other reports say only 20 percent of the population lives in these regions, suggesting Ontario’s poorest are more likely to opt for euthanasia than the financially secure.

The report divides the cases into Track 1 euthanasia deaths (euthanasia given to those whose death is reasonably foreseeable) and Track 2 deaths (euthanasia given to those whose death is not reasonably foreseeable). 41% of Track 1 deaths and 48% of Track 2 deaths were of people living in Ontario’s poorest neighborhoods. 

However, when accounting for “age and labour-force participation” as “measures of disadvantage,” the Death Review Committee report found that 57% of Track 2 requests came from the poorest in society, while 42% of Track 1 requests were from the same sector. 

Interestingly, or perhaps alarmingly, this statistic is not found in other counties, as data from the Netherlands and Oregon found “death under the (Oregon Death with Dignity Act) was associated with having health insurance and with high educational status, both indirect indicators of affluence.” 

A culture of death and eugenics 

However, in Canada, poverty has become a driving factor among those who end their lives via MAiD. Indeed, the Death Review Committee report is only the latest document to confirm the growing number of Canadians choosing to end their lives, at least in part, because they are poor.

First introduced in 2016, MAiD was initially only available to those who were terminally ill. However, in 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government expanded the deadly practice to be available to those who are not at risk of death but who suffer from chronic illness. 

Now, Trudeau’s euthanasia regime has apparently created a culture of death and eugenics in Canada as poor or suffering Canadians increasingly feel that their lives are worthless, and they are a burden to society.  

In one case, a Nova Scotia grandmother revealed that doctors repeatedly offered her euthanasia while she underwent cancer treatment, making her feel as though she was “better off dead.” 

Similarly, in May, LifeSiteNews reported on a Canadian man who felt “completely traumatized” and violated that he was offered MAiD “multiple times” instead of getting the proper care he needed while in the hospital.  

Additionally, last month, internal documents found that poverty and loneliness are two popular reasons Canadians are choosing euthanasia, which has left doctors feeling uneasy about the morality of the deadly practice. 

Healthcare wait times have ballooned nationwide under the Trudeau government, with the average wait hitting an all-time high of 27.7 weeks.

While access to real care continues to be limited, Trudeau and his government have instead worked to expand MAiD thirteen-fold since it was legalized, making it the fastest growing euthanasia program in the world.    

The most recent reports show that MAiD is the sixth highest cause of death in Canada. However, it was not listed as such in Statistics Canada’s top 10 leading causes of death from 2019 to 2022.    

When asked why MAiD was left off the list, the agency said that it records the illnesses that led Canadians to choose to end their lives via euthanasia, not the actual cause of death, as the primary cause of death.  

According to Health Canada, in 2022, 13,241 Canadians died by MAiD lethal injections. This accounts for 4.1 percent of all deaths in the country for that year, a 31.2 percent increase from 2021.  

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Alberta

MAiD In Alberta: Province surveying Albertans about assisted suicide policies

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Alberta’s government is launching a public engagement to gather input about legislation and policies around assisted suicide, also referred to as medical assistance in dying (MAID).

Medical assistance in dying is a process that allows an eligible person to receive assistance from a medical practitioner in ending their life. To be found eligible, a person must be suffering from a serious and permanent medical condition.

Alberta’s government is reviewing how MAID is regulated to ensure there is a consistent process as well as oversight that protects vulnerable Albertans, specifically those living with disabilities or suffering from mental health challenges. An online survey is now open for Albertans to share their views and experiences with MAID until Dec. 20.

“We recognize that medical assistance in dying is a very complex and often personal issue and is an important, sensitive and emotional matter for patients and their families. It is important to ensure this process has the necessary supports to protect the most vulnerable. I encourage Albertans who have experience with and opinions on MAID to take this survey.”

Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Attorney General

In addition to the online survey, Alberta’s government will also be engaging directly with academics, medical associations, public bodies, religious organizations, regulatory bodies, advocacy groups and others that have an interest in and/or working relationship to the MAID process, health care, disabilities and mental health care.

Feedback gathered through this process will help inform the Alberta government’s planning and policy decision making, including potential legislative changes regarding MAID in Alberta.

“Our government has been clear that we do not support the provision of medically assisted suicide for vulnerable Albertans facing mental illness as their primary purpose for seeking their own death. Instead, our goal is to build a continuum of care where vulnerable Albertans can live in long-term health and fulfilment. We look forward to the feedback of Albertans as we proceed with this important issue.”

Dan Williams, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction

“As MAID is a federally legislated and regulated program that touches the lives of many Albertans, our priority is to ensure we have robust safeguards to protect vulnerable individuals. Albertans’ insights will be essential in developing thoughtful policies on this complex issue.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health

The federal Criminal Code sets out the MAID eligibility criteria, procedural safeguards and reporting obligations. The federal government has paused MAID eligibility for individuals with a mental illness as their sole underlying medical condition until March 2027 to ensure the provincial health care systems have processes and supports in place. Alberta’s government does not support expanding MAID eligibility to include those facing depression or mental illness and continues to call on the federal government to end this policy altogether.

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