Canadians show steady support for MAID laws, but unease lingers over moral boundaries

A new poll suggests Canadians remain broadly satisfied with the country’s medical assistance in dying (MAiD) legislation, even as an undercurrent of unease shapes views on how far the policy should go.

Research Co. reports that a slim majority, 52 percent, is satisfied with the existing regulations. That figure is up four points from April 2023. An equal share of Canadians is either dissatisfied or undecided, at 24 percent each.

The results show a country negotiating the moral boundaries of “assisted dying” and the circumstances in which it should be permitted. Research Co. notes that fewer than half of Conservative voters in the 2025 federal election express satisfaction with the laws at 46 percent, while support is higher among New Democrats at 53 percent and Liberals at 59 percent.

Regional and demographic differences remain pronounced. Support for the current framework is strongest in Quebec at 62 percent and lowest in Alberta at 45 percent. By heritage, Canadians of East Asian descent are least likely to endorse the status quo at 47 percent, compared with 51 percent among those of European background, 58 percent among South Asians and 60 percent among Indigenous respondents. By province and region, satisfaction registers at 52 percent in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, 51 percent in Atlantic Canada, 51 percent in British Columbia and 49 percent in Ontario.

Appetite for broadening eligibility is lower. Fewer than half support extending MAiD to people unable to receive medical treatment at 49 percent, those with disabilities at 46 percent or those with mental illness at 42 percent. Support falls sharply on requests tied to social hardship, with 26 percent backing eligibility related to homelessness and 25 percent for poverty.

Views on assistance in suicide also hardened. Nearly half of Canadians, 49 percent, say anyone who helps another person to die should be prosecuted, a seven-point rise since 2023. Young adults show the strongest inclination toward prosecution: 60 percent among those aged 18 to 34, compared with 48 percent among people 35 to 54 and 41 percent among those 55 and older. The numbers suggest a widening moral and legal caution around actions that can blur the line between compassion and crime.

Canadians remain split on how courts should treat a parent who helps a terminally ill son or daughter to die. Twenty-eight percent favour leaving a prison sentence to a judge’s discretion, 15 percent support a mandatory life sentence, 11 percent say a fine without prison time is sufficient and 23 percent would impose no penalty.

Asked about their personal views, 58 percent say MAID should be allowed only in specific circumstances. Eighteen percent say it should never be allowed, a six-point rise since 2023, while 16 percent say it should always be permitted.

The online survey was conducted from October 15 to October 17 among 1,001 adults across Canada. Results were weighted to census benchmarks. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Ethical unease over consent and care

Physicians and critics are warning that Canada’s assisted-dying system may be drifting from its purported original legislative purpose as an end-of-life option for those facing grievous and irremediable illness. Dr. Ramona Coelho, a London, Ont., family physician and member of Ontario’s MAID Death Review Committee, said recently that “federal guidelines are being ignored” and urged Canadians to ask whether the system “truly protects all Canadians — or expedites death for the vulnerable.”

(Nature of suffering among MAiD recipients in Ontario with dementia and track 1 recipients with other causes of death, January 2023 to December 2024. Source: Government of Ontario.)

The committee’s latest report found that 103 Ontarians diagnosed with dementia received medical assistance in dying in 2023 and 2024. Many cited a loss of dignity, feelings of being a burden, or loneliness as reasons for seeking death. The committee said such motivations highlight gaps in social and mental health support rather than medical suffering.

One case in the report described an elderly woman with advanced dementia whose consent was deemed valid after she was able to repeat a question and squeeze a clinician’s hand. The committee warned that assessments of capacity in patients with cognitive impairment require further review, noting that some individuals may appear cooperative without fully comprehending the nature or finality of their decision.

Coelho and other critics argue that proposals to allow advance requests for euthanasia, particularly for those diagnosed with dementia, risk crossing a moral boundary. They warn that such policies could empower others to decide when a life should end.