Expert Analysis

MAID advance requests need independent legal scrutiny before death

By Heather Campbell Pope ( October 13, 2026, 12:27 PM EDT) -- Last week, the federal government announced that it plans to introduce legislation to decriminalize advance requests for medical assistance in dying (MAID), leaving each province and territory to decide whether to permit them. Advance requests are intended to respect autonomy, but when undue influence, coercive control or other forms of abuse are discovered only after MAID has been provided, no remedy can restore the person’s life....