Decades after banning the death penalty, Canada kills inmates by 'assisted suicide'

According to new reports, Canada is allowing prisoners to end their lives through assisted suicide despite having banned capital punishment decades ago.

Key Takeaways:

• Canada fully banned capital punishment — the death penalty — in 1998.

• Medical Assistance in Dying was approved in Canada in 2016.

• From 2016 to 2025, at least 67 prisoners in Canada have requested assisted death, with at least 15 approved and killed.

The Details:

A government-issued response from the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness states that 15 federal inmates have undergone assisted death under Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying Act (MAiD) since 2018.

Of the 15 prisoners who underwent assisted suicide, 14 did so at external facilities, and one died at the correctional institution. In all, 67 inmates requested MAiD from 2017 to September 2025. Assisted suicide and euthanasia were approved by the Canadian government in 2016, and each passing year has brought increased requests from prisoners to die under the program.

• 2017: Two inmates requested MAiD

• 2022: Eight inmates requested MAiD

• 2023: 12 inmates requested MAiD

• 2024: 15 inmates requested MAiD

• 2025: At least 12 inmates requested death in the first nine months of the year

The report does not specify if the inmates self-administered the lethal drugs (assisted suicide) or if a doctor administered the drugs to them (euthanasia); however, the majority of MAiD deaths in Canada are acts of euthanasia.

The data also does not show whether those who died were considered "terminal" or "non-terminal."

The Correctional Service of Canada has noted that there has been an increase in requests following the expansion of the eligibility requirements, including that a person's death does not have to be imminent for that person to be approved for physician-assisted death.

Canada began taking steps to ban capital punishment in 1976, first for civilian crimes; then in 1998, Canada officially removed capital punishment from the law.

Rather than the death penalty, a life sentence in prison is the severest punishment for murder. Yet, the government is still killing prisoners under the auspices of the MAiD program.

Why It Matters:

MAiD requires an individual's full consent before death can be carried out; however, it is well understood that people seeking assisted death may do so for reasons other than terminal illness or a true desire to die. Many fear being a burden to their families, and often suffer with feelings of isolation and depression.

These reasons could certainly be seen in prisons as well, where inmates may feel compelled to seek assisted suicide due to desperation, loneliness, and fear of lifelong imprisonment.

Live Action News previously reported about data from Oregon showing that people most often cite a “loss of autonomy” as the reason for wanting assisted death, not because they’re suffering. Multiple other studies published in medical journals found that people seek assisted death because they feel hopeless, fear being a burden on their loved ones, have little to no support, or are depressed. 

Another concern regarding the increased number of prisoners seeking assisted death is that paying for their deaths is a cheaper option for the Canadian government than paying to keep them in prison long-term.

The Bottom Line:

Twenty-eight years after Canada banned capital punishment, it is still killing prisoners, just under a more 'palatable' and euphemistically acceptable banner. The powers that be can shrug off these deaths as the empowered choice of the inmates, but it is likely a desperate attempt on the part of the prisoners to gain some semblance of freedom.