This second update ( the first having been published in April this year) will build upon the first report, providing additional information on requests for medical assistance in dying between January 1 and June 30, 2017, and includes an analysis of trends where comparable data permits. Across the country, there were 1,179 medically assisted deaths between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2017, accounting for approximately 0.9% of all deaths in Canada during that time frame. While this represents a 46.8% increase from the first six months that the legislation was in place, it remains consistent with international experience; between 0.3% to 4.6% of all deaths are reported as euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide in jurisdictions where they are legal. A summary and the full report can be downloaded here.
