Canadian Report Reveals Thousands of Errors in Euthanasia Cases, Renewing Oversight Concerns

VANCOUVER — An internal report from British Columbia's Ministry of Health has revealed that thousands of errors occurred in the administration of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) cases during 2024, raising renewed concerns about oversight and patient safeguards.

The Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) Oversight 2024 Year End Report, obtained through a freedom of information request by Canadian Catholic News, found that more than half of all MAiD cases in the province required government follow-up due to errors or missing information.

According to the report, 4,169 people requested MAiD in British Columbia during 2024, with approximately 72 percent ultimately dying through euthanasia. The province's MAiD Oversight Unit identified 2,807 errors affecting 51.9 percent of case outcomes that required corrective follow-up, while 353 cases raised compliance concerns requiring additional education for physicians, nurse practitioners, or pharmacists to ensure adherence to legal and professional standards.

The findings closely mirror those from 2023, when officials documented more than 2,800 errors, suggesting that systemic concerns have persisted despite previous recommendations.

Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, described the volume of errors as alarming, noting that British Columbia continues to record the highest proportion of euthanasia deaths in Canada, accounting for 6.5 percent of all deaths in the province in 2024, compared with the national average of 5.1 percent.

Amanda Achtman, ethics director of Canadian Physicians for Life, said the report highlights what she described as significant failures in the current system, arguing that the high number of errors reflects inadequate care for vulnerable patients at the end of life. She stated:

“The staggering level of errors surrounding the practice of euthanasia in Canada betrays a level of indifference and callousness toward Canadian patients at end of life. At the same time, every euthanasia death is a medical ‘error’ because it is an aberration of sound medical practice rooted in the Hippocratic oath to ‘do no harm.’”

The report has also renewed calls for greater transparency from provincial officials. Opposition legislators have urged the government to publish annual reports detailing compliance concerns, regulatory actions, and recommendations for improving oversight. Health Minister Josie Osborne did not publicly respond to requests for comment following the report's release.

Former hospice physician Dr. Kevin Sclater also called for stronger safeguards, criticizing what he described as insufficient competency assessments during the euthanasia evaluation process. The report from CCN states:

Dr. Kevin Sclater, who in 2022 resigned from his position at a hospice in Port Moody, British Columbia, in part because of the “moral distress” caused by having to discuss MAiD with patients, said he is “shocked” by the high error rate and called for the health ministry to “tighten up” regulations. CCN asked B.C.’s professional medical association Doctors of B.C. for comment on MAiD management and was told the evaluation of “clinical outcomes falls outside our scope.” A spokesperson said answers to “questions related to regulatory oversight” were best directed to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia. When reached by CCN, the college said its mandate is to regulate physicians and surgeons, not to “comment on clinical, health or health system matters, and suggested contacting the health ministry. Sclater said the health ministry should be responsible for MAiD oversight. He said a euthanasia assessment is only a “superficial competency” evaluation that “doesn’t evaluate and document a person’s competence” for making a medical decision. “The entire evaluation process is really a sham,” he said. The process leaves the public “vulnerable to the whims” of euthanasia providers who may consider it their “mission to help” individuals who have “restricted capacity to object,” he said.

The report's publication coincides with the tenth anniversary of legalized euthanasia in Canada. Marking the occasion, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops renewed its call for Catholics to oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide while encouraging greater support for those who are sick, elderly, and vulnerable.

Previously, the UOJ reported that an Orthodox priest had issued an open letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office on the Sunday of the Myrrh Bearers, urging the government to limit the expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) to individuals suffering from mental illness.