For the past decade, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) has been an option for Canadians with a grievous and irremediable medical condition who qualify.
In most cases, MAID does not affect life insurance claims, provided the policyholder followed legal MAID procedures and did not misrepresent information on their application.
MAID eligibility is currently scheduled to expand on March 17, 2027, to include individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.
MAID Requests and Provisions Statistics in Canada
In 2024, 5.1% of people who died in Canada received MAID.
The number of cases has increased every year since 2019. MAID was provided to 16,499 individuals in 2024, up 6.9% from 2023. However, the annual rate of growth has been declining since 2019, according to the government’s most recent annual report on MAID.
When MAID became legal in 2016, eligibility required a person’s natural death to be reasonably foreseeable. In 2021, eligibility expanded to include people whose natural death was not reasonably foreseeable. This category, called Track 2, made up only 4.4% of cases in 2024, with the most common underlying conditions listed as neurological and “other,” such as diabetes, autoimmune conditions and chronic pain.
More than 95% of MAID cases involved individuals whose death was reasonably foreseeable (Track 1), with most citing cancer as the underlying condition.
MAID Eligibility
To be eligible for MAID in Canada, individuals must meet all of the following criteria:
- be eligible for health services funded by a province, territory or the federal government;
- be at least 18 years old and mentally competent;
- have a grievous and irremediable medical condition;
- make a voluntary request for medical assistance in dying; and
- give informed consent to receive medical assistance in dying.
Individuals requesting MAID are also subject to procedural safeguards, such as having two independent medical assessments and making a written request that is independently witnessed.
When medical practitioners determine that death is not reasonably foreseeable, additional safeguards must also be met.
How MAID Affects Life Insurance
From a life insurance perspective, choosing MAID does not, on its own, prevent a life insurance payout if all policy terms and disclosure requirements are met.
While many life insurance policies contain a suicide-exclusion period, during which death benefits may be limited, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) noted in 2016 that MAID would not be considered suicide for life insurance purposes, as long as it takes place in accordance with government rules and processes.
The Ontario government has also enacted legislation preventing insurance benefits from being denied solely because of a medically assisted death.
Even when MAID takes place within the rules, a claim may be denied if:
- the applicant made a material misrepresentation when applying for coverage; or
- the policy lapsed because premiums weren’t paid.
Future Changes to MAID and Underwriting Questions
The issue of MAID eligibility is still evolving. Individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness are currently excluded from MAID until March 17, 2027.
Alberta’s Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act received royal assent on March 18, 2026 and will come into force on proclamation. The legislation would limit MAID in Alberta to Track 1 cases where an individual’s death is reasonably foreseeable and likely to happen within 12 months.
The Canadian Parliament re-established its special joint committee on MAID in February 2026 to review eligibility for individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.
At the moment, it is too early to know what an expansion of the criteria might mean for the number of individuals applying under Track 2 or whether it might affect life insurance underwriting and risk assessment.