Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying Has Gone Too Far
What should Canada offer people in crisis?
From 2021 to 2024, 2,050 people with disabilities received assisted suicide, also known as medical assistance in dying (MAiD), even when they were not dying. And soon, people with mental illness will be eligible despite not dying.
What should Canada offer first? A: Support, housing, care, and dignity
B: Assisted suicide
Track 1 MAiD
2016 – The Federal Government made assisted suicide available for individuals whose death is reasonably foreseeable. This pathway is called Track 1 MAiD. Many people will know of individuals that accessed it due to failing health. Inclusion Canada is not challenging this pathway.
Track 2 MAiD
2021 – The Federal Government created a separate pathway to assisted suicide for people with disabilities who are not dying. People who are not disabled are not eligible for it. This is discriminatory and Inclusion Canada is opposed to it.
People without disabilities who live in conditions shaped by poverty, lack of supports, isolation, homelessness or inadequate care are not being offered MAiD. They are being given the supports they need. So should persons with disabilities.
Beyond Track 2 MAiD being discriminatory, the law was enacted without careful safeguards and strong protections. In 2026, this remains the case.
Proposed Expansion
2026 – The Federal Government is considering widening access to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) again. This time for individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness. If approved, it will take effect on March 17, 2027. Inclusion Canada and 90 other disability and mental health organizations in Canada are opposed to this. Read the open letter here:
People without disabilities who live in conditions shaped by poverty, lack of supports, isolation, homelessness or inadequate care are not being offered MAiD. They are being given the supports they need. So should persons with disabilities.
Beyond Track 2 MAiD being discriminatory, the law was enacted without careful safeguards and strong protections. In 2026, this remains the case.
Track 1 | Track 2 |
Person is at end of life | Person is NOT dying |
Eligibility: Terminal illness | Eligibility: Disability |
End-of-life care | Social suffering / support gaps |
Inclusion Canada is not challenging | Inclusion Canada is challenging |
Track 2 is NOT end-of-life care. According to the federal government’s latest report, 2,050 people died from Track 2 MAiD between 2021 and 2024.
In Parliament
Watch: Inclusion Canada CEO Krista Carr appeared in Parliament at the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD). Comprised of MPs and Senators, it is currently studying whether to expand MAiD for people whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness. Krista called on the committee and government to halt expansion of MAiD for mental illness and repeal the second access point to MAiD that is only for people with disabilities and is discriminatory.
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) has called on Canada to repeal Track 2 MAiD, halt the planned expansion to mental illness and bring its MAiD regime into compliance with Canada’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Read the report here.
Personal Stories
Track 2 MAiD Facts
We have compiled facts about Track 2 MAiD in this infographic, available as an image or PDF below.
Key facts include:
732 Track 2 deaths in 2024
A 17% increase in MAiD deaths in 2024
Poverty and isolation were common factors in Track 2 deaths
Long waits for disability supports prevented access to care
Where Your Donations Go
Constitutional challenge
Public education
Crisis support
Advocacy
Research
Coalition building
Support Inclusion. Support our Charter Challenge
Inclusion Canada is part of a Charter challenge in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to repeal Track 2 MAiD and defend the equality rights of people with disabilities under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
You can support. All contributions help and we want people involved in this movement.
Canada must repeal Track 2 MAiD and invest in the economic, social and community-based supports that allow people with disabilities to live safely, equally, and with dignity. People with disabilities deserve the same protection, hope, and opportunity as every other Canadian.
Help us end Track 2 before more lives are lost.
Donate: https://www.inclusioncanada.ca/donations/pledge-form
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Join Campaign | Peer-to-Peer program
Contact your Member of Parliament and Senator: https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en
Canadians can and must choose a different path — one rooted in inclusion, equality, dignity, and human rights.
Repeal Track 2 and invest in lives — not assisted death.