Alberta euthanasia deaths increased by more than 40% in 2022 while Manitoba euthanasia deaths decreased.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Alex Schadenberg

According to Alberta Health Services, in 2022, the number of (MAiD) euthanasia deaths increased by more than 40% to 836 deaths up from 594 in 2021. There were 205 euthanasia deaths in 2017, the first full year of euthanasia in Canada.

A Global News report by Shane Gibson indicates that in 2022 there were 223 Manitoba (MAiD) euthanasia deaths which is down from 245 in 2021. Gibson reported that Shared Health Manitoba indicated that formal requests for euthanasia also went down from 387 in 2021 to 341 in 2022.

I recently reported that The Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario released the December 2022 MAiD data which  indicates that there were 3934 reported euthanasia deaths which increased by 27% from 3102 in 2021.

On December 9, 2022 the seventh annual report from Québec’s Commission on end of life care was filed in Québec’s National Assembly. The report covered the 2021-2022 period (April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022). The Commission reported 3,663 euthanasia deaths declared by doctors during the fiscal year which was up by 51% over the previous year. The number of euthanasia deaths reported by facilities was 3,629 and the report from the Collège des Médecins du Québec totalled 3,952 leaving a discrepancy of 289 deaths. 

The Québec Commission does not provide an explanation for the discrepancy of 289 deaths, but it appears that some doctors are not reporting euthanasia deaths. The same problem may exist in other jurisdictions but it is impossible to prove since Québec is the only province that collects data from more than one source. 

Yesterday I reported that the Federal government introduced a bill to delay the implementation of euthanasia for mental illness until March 17, 2024. I also reported that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith objects to expanding euthanasia to include mental illness. Québec has already objected to euthanasia for mental illness. 

Clearly, there are different approaches to euthanasia in each province. More provinces need to assert their constitutional authority and prevent euthanasia for mental illness and the indiscriminate use of euthanasia.