“It’s the state-sponsored way of suicide”

That is how Canadian MP Dean Allison described Medical Assistance in Dying when I asked him what MAID actually means — and how many people who testified at the Allison Inquiry had been offered it.

Then came the statistic that should stop people in their tracks.

In 2024, 5.1% of all deaths in Canada involved MAID — roughly 1 in 20 deaths.

Allison argues that safeguards have been progressively widened and says the programme has gone far beyond what many Canadians originally believed they were being offered.

His words are stark:

“It’s out of control.”

This is no longer a marginal policy debate.

When around one in every twenty deaths in a G7 country involves medically assisted dying, serious questions about safeguards, eligibility and where the boundaries should lie are unavoidable.

Watch this exchange from my interview with Dean Allison MP and lawyer Sean Buckley.

https://t.co/Wx4rAlOFgH ???? CANADA’S MAID PROGRAMME — “STATE-SPONSORED SUICIDE” “It’s the state-sponsored way of suicide.” That is how Canadian MP Dean Allison described Medical Assistance in Dying when I asked him what MAID actually means — and how many people who testified at the Allison Inquiry had been offered it. Then came the statistic that should stop people in their tracks. In 2024, 5.1% of all deaths in Canada involved MAID — roughly 1 in 20 deaths. Allison argues that safeguards have been progressively widened and says the programme has gone far beyond what many Canadians originally believed they were being offered. His words are stark: “It’s out of control.” This is no longer a marginal policy debate. When around one in every twenty deaths in a G7 country involves medically assisted dying, serious questions about safeguards, eligibility and where the boundaries should lie are unavoidable. Watch this exchange from my interview with Dean Allison MP and lawyer Sean Buckley. @AllisonInquiry @DeanAllisonMP @Shawnbuckleylaw

— Jim Ferguson (@JimFergusonUK)October 5, 2026