New National Survey Released to Special Joint Parliamentary Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying

Vast Majority of Canadians Continue to Support Access to Medical Assistance In Dying

, May 12, 2022 /CNW/ - An overwhelming majority of Canadians continue to support access to medical assistance in dying (MAID), according to a new national survey conducted by Ipsos Reid, on behalf of Dying With Dignity Canada. The survey results are being released in the context of an important parliamentary review being conducted by the House of Commons and the Senate. 

"It is critical during this review, that parliamentarians understand the national view of Canadians on this critical issue of compassion and rights," said Dying With Dignity Canada CEO, Helen Long.

Key findings of the poll include:

86% support among Canadians for the Carter v. Canada decision that struck down the federal prohibition on assisted dying in 2015. Furthermore, 90% of Canadians over the age of 55 have strong support. Among faith communities, 87% of Catholics, 82% of Protestants indicated support, as well as 80% Canadians who identify as BIPOC.

Eight in ten (82%) of Canadians support the recent removal of the 'reasonably foreseeable' eligibility requirement from MAID law. This is an increase of 13% from the 2021 Ipsos results. 83% of people with a disability also support this change, and among the BIPOC community 75% support the removal of the requirement.

85% of Canadians support an advance request for MAID for individuals with an irremediable diagnosis. And similar to the 2021 poll, 77% support an advance request without an irremediable diagnosis. An advance request for MAID is a request created in advance of a loss of decision-making capacity, intended to be acted upon under the circumstances outlined in the request after the person has lost decisional capacity (competency).

86% of those polled agree that a person should be able to request medical assistance in dying in advance if they meet all the criteria, and 84% agree that any advance request for MAID that meets to person's criteria should be complied with.

76% of those polled agree that all health care facilities that receive public funds have an obligation to provide a full range of health care services if they have the proper equipment and staff to do so. 75% of those who identify as Catholic and 68% of Protestants, also support this statement. Some publicly funded health care facilities in Canada refuse to allow or provide MAID on-site because of their religious affiliation.

In March of 2021, Bill C-7, an act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying,) was signed into law, removing the criteria that a person's death must be reasonably foreseeable to be eligible for MAID, among other changes. It also included the parliamentary review of MAID, now underway, on the topics of advance requests, mature minors, mental illness, the state of palliative care and the protection of people with disabilities. 

"It is our mission to improve quality of dying and protect the end-of-life rights of people across Canada," said CEO, Helen Long. "The recent findings in the Ipsos poll, confirm that our advocacy efforts reflect what a majority of people support and want in place; this includes advance requests for MAID, effective referrals for continuous health care, fair access to end-of-life care and compassion for those who suffer intolerably."

A sample of 3,500 Canadians aged 18 years and over was interviewed on the Ipsos I-Say Panel from April 19 to 25, 2022. Weighting was employed to ensure that the sample's composition reflects the overall population according to the latest census information.

More data and a further breakdown of poll results can be found here.

Dying With Dignity Canada is the national human-rights charity committed to improving quality of dying, protecting end-of-life rights, and helping Canadians avoid unwanted suffering.

SOURCE Dying With Dignity Canada

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