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Canada’s MAiD Crisis: 16,000 Dead in One Year, 7.4% of Quebec’s Total Deaths, as Isolation and Cost-Cutting Eclipse Terminal Illness Canada's euthanasia program, known as Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), recorded a record 16,000 deaths in 2023, pushing the cumulative total since legalization in 2016 past 65,000, according to newly released federal and provincial data. In Quebec, MAiD accounted for 7.4 percent of all deaths last year, a 9 percent increase from 2022 and the highest proportion of any jurisdiction worldwide, surpassing rates in the Netherlands and Belgium. The province now leads global rankings in per-capita euthanasia deaths. Health Canada reports that terminal illness is no longer the dominant factor. Among 2023 cases, 50 percent of patients cited perceived burden on family or caregivers as a key influence, while 24 percent referenced loneliness and social isolation. Additional drivers included financial hardship, depression, and chronic but non-terminal conditions. Procedural timelines reveal acute decision-making in some instances: 4 percent of MAiD deaths occurred within 24 hours of initial request. Separate investigations have documented cases where patients felt pressured to choose euthanasia amid prolonged treatment delays or inadequate palliative care. Quebec is advancing legislation to permit advance requests for MAiD, a measure currently prohibited under federal law. A proposed expansion to include mental illness as the sole qualifying condition remains deferred until March 2027 following sustained opposition from medical bodies and disability advocates. The federal government estimates MAiD has generated healthcare cost savings exceeding $100 million annually, a figure that has intensified ethical scrutiny over systemic incentives. As the program enters its tenth year, policymakers face mounting calls to strengthen safeguards, expand palliative services, and address socioeconomic factors driving demand. The data underscore a pivotal question for Canadian society: how to balance autonomy with protections for the vulnerable.