Medical assistance in dying: National conversation on advance requests
We launched a national conversation on advance requests from November 2024 to February 14, 2025. The report What we heard: National conversation on advance requests for medical assistance in dying, published on October 29, 2025, presents the key findings.
Learn more about MAID.
On this page
- MAID is a shared jurisdiction
- About advance requests
- National conversation on advance requests for MAID
MAID is a shared jurisdiction
In Canada, MAID is a matter of shared jurisdiction. As a health service, MAID is provided by provincial and territorial health systems as part of end-of-life or complex care, consistent with federal criminal law, provincial/territorial law and policy. There is an important criminal law aspect that falls under the responsibility of the federal government since MAID involves ending a person's life.
The federal legal framework for MAID is set out in the Criminal Code and sets out the eligibility criteria and stringent safeguards that apply uniformly across Canada.
About advance requests
An advance request is a request for MAID made by an individual who still has the capacity to make decisions, before they are eligible or want to receive it. Their intent is that MAID be provided in the future after they have lost the capacity to consent and when certain conditions that they specify in their request are met.
In Canada, the provision of MAID based on an advance request is not allowed.
In February 2023, the Parliament of Canada's Special Joint Committee on MAID recommended that the Criminal Code be amended to allow for MAID based on advance requests under certain circumstances. In its response, the federal government noted that advance requests for MAID was a complex issue that required further study and consultation.
National conversation on advance requests for MAID
MAID is a complex and sensitive issue and people in Canada hold a broad range of perspectives, including on advance requests.
That is why the Government of Canada launched a national conversation to engage with patients, provincial and territorial governments, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, providers, stakeholders, and the public on advance requests for MAID, to:
- discuss advance requests using international and domestic research, studies, and examples
- hear views on advance requests
The national conversation on advance requests and MAID included:
- roundtables to hear from a broad range of individuals from late November 2024 to mid-February 2025
- an online questionnaire open to the public from December 12, 2024 to February 14, 2025
- public opinion research conducted between February 3 to 9, 2025
For a summary of the key themes from this engagement process, refer to the full report: What We Heard: National Conversation on Advance Requests for Medical Assistance in Dying.
The Government of Canada remains committed to ensuring that the federal legal framework for MAID reflects the needs of people in Canada, protects those who may be vulnerable, and supports autonomy and freedom of choice.
Related links
- Statement on advance requests for medical assistance in dying
- Legislation in Canada
- Eligibility
- Procedural safeguards and final consent
- Report Two of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying
- Government Response to the Second Report of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying