Book Review: Unravelling MAiD in Canada: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide as Medical Care

Several times each month, we are pleased to republish a recent book review from the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR). CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL/ACBD), and its reviews cover both practice-oriented and academic publications related to the law.

Unravelling MAiD in Canada: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide as Medical Care. Edited by Ramona Coelho, K. Sonu Gaind & Trudo Lemmens. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2025. 552 p. Includes bibliographic references and index. ISBN 9780228023692 (softcover) $39.95; ISBN 9780228024538 (ePUB); ISBN 9780228024521 (PDF).

Reviewed by Sasha Dhesi
Library Technician
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Unravelling MAiD in Canada offers various perspectives on Canada’s rollout of medical assistance in dying (MAiD), an area in which Canadian law has inadvertently become a major influence elsewhere as access to MAiD in Canada has expanded to include groups outside of those immediately dying. Unravelling MAiD in Canada clarifies legal intricacies, offers perspectives considering the ethical dilemmas faced by healthcare practitioners, and reviews the impact on palliative, supportive, and psychiatric care.

The editors bring their own professional experiences of MAiD in Canada to the book. Dr. Ramona Coelho, a family physician, draws from her experiences caring for end-of-life patients to reconsider her own preconceived perceptions about suffering and how non-traditional solutions, such as peer support and allied healthcare workers, can dramatically improve a patient’s standard of care. Coelho fears that expanding MAiD will make it the easiest option, rather than considering other new ways to support patients. Psychiatrist and professor Dr. K. Sonu Gaind, who was elected president of the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) in 2015, has chaired various committees regarding MAiD and has spent the past decade reviewing and consulting upon its nuances. During his time as president of the CPA, Gaind grew wary of the lack of evidence in favour of politicking, which he discusses at length in his chapter “Fall of Duty: The Breach of Trust and Moral Failure of Canada’s Entrusted Experts.” Finally, Trudo Lemmens, a professor of health law, has been studying the euthanasia laws of other countries for years and has acted as an expert witness for various Parliamentary committees and hearings. While supportive of earlier versions of Canadian MAiD laws, with their key safeguards restricting broad use, Lemmens describes various ethical dilemmas posed by the introduction of broader assisted-dying laws.

The book comprises four sections. The first section provides a primer on the evolution of MAiD in Canada and the arguments underlying its legal framework. The second section looks at MAiD’s effect on patient care, with a focus on how elements such as ableism, ageism, economic injustice, and colonialism interact with MAiD in practice. The third section focuses on the planned expansion of MAiD to include mental illness as a sole criterion, while the fourth section discusses federal recommendations for future expansions.

The book’s structure lends itself well to acting as a primer for those unfamiliar with MAiD and the concerns regarding its implementation in Canadian healthcare. Each of the editors have engaged with MAiD and have taken part in the debates about various aspects of Canada’s MAiD regime.

The book also includes a range of perspectives from those who engage with MAiD issues, particularly disabled persons, who have largely been ignored in Parliamentary debates about MAiD expansion in Canada. Chapter 8, “Creating a Killable Class and Manufacturing Selective Suicidality: Thoughts of a Past and Future Ironing Board,” by Gabrielle Peters, was especially illuminating.

Overall, Unravelling MAiD in Canada offers readers a review of Canada’s implementation of MAiD and the many different viewpoints on its implementation. Although it is largely critical of MAiD, the book nonetheless does an excellent job of presenting the rationale for the implementation of the law alongside the critiques. As a primer for this complex topic, Unravelling MAiD is better suited for law school libraries with substantial health law courses but could still be of value to law firms who may be delving into this area of health law for the first time. This book will serve readers well as they parse through the many legal and ethical dilemmas posed by MAiD in Canada.