MAiD at Ten: Lessons from Canada’s First Decade

Ten years after the Supreme Court of Canada’s Carter decision, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) has become an established part of Canadian healthcare, law, and public life. Yet despite broad public support, it remains one of the most controversial and poorly understood issues in the country.

The first decade of MAiD in Canada was largely defined by its legalization and subsequent expansion. Today, Canada appears to be entering a period of reassessment. Continued delays surrounding the implementation of MAiD for mental illness, Alberta’s recent MAiD restrictions, growing critiques from the disability community, increasing concerns about structural vulnerabilities and social suffering, debates over conscientious refusal and institutional participation, and broader questions concerning safeguards, oversight, and public trust have prompted renewed reflection on the future of assisted dying in Canada.

This conference seeks to take stock of Canada’s first decade of MAiD.

Ten years in, the central question is no longer simply whether MAiD should be legal. Rather, the debate increasingly concerns where the boundaries should be drawn, how these boundaries are justified, and what values should guide future MAiD policy.

Disagreements about MAiD are often presented as conflicts between supporters and opponents. Yet many of the most difficult questions arise among people who share similar values but disagree about how these values should be interpreted and balanced, especially in hard cases. Concepts of autonomy, compassion, dignity, equality, protection, and care continue to animate the debate, yet these are not fixed rules that can be applied mechanically. Rather, they require judgment under conditions of uncertainty. Consequently, reasonable disagreement can persist even among those who share many of the same moral commitments.

The conference does not aim to advance a particular position on assisted dying. Rather, it seeks to promote a deeper understanding of the legal, ethical, clinical, and social questions that continue to shape Canada’s MAiD system. By bringing together scholars, clinicians, policymakers, legal experts, students, and members of the public, the conference seeks to foster thoughtful discussion on what Canada has learned from its first decade of MAiD, what questions remain unresolved, and how the next decade should be approached.