by Emma Richter, Daily Mail
Canada is letting prisoners die by assisted suicide nearly 50 years after banning capital punishment, according to newly released data.
In 2025, 12 prisoners requested to die by euthanasia, according to an Order Paper response confirmed by the Correctional Service of Canada. Only one person did so, according to the data recorded as of September that was first reported by Juno News.
Since 2018, at least 15 inmates have ended their lives through medical assistance in dying, according to the report released earlier this month.
The agency, which is run by Commissioner Anne Kelly, has seen an increase in state-sanctioned suicide following the legalization of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).
The process, which was legalized in the liberal government in 2016 under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, allows people with terminal illnesses to end their lives, but over the years guidelines have expanded to include non-terminal conditions, creating a big point of contention.
Since MAiD became legalized, 67 federal inmates have applied for the procedure.
The updated data comes as the country still abides by its ban on capital punishment, which was abolished in 1976 for civilian crimes.
In 1998, Canada officially removed capital punishment from military law. Instead, the government replaced with with a life sentence for murder.