Number of medically assisted deaths in first half of 2017 rise from 2016
OTTAWA — Health Canada says there were 1,179 medically assisted deaths between Jan. 1 and June 30 this year, accounting for about 0.9 per cent of all deaths nationally.
In the previous six months, the first half-year in which medical assistance in dying was legal, there were 803 assisted deaths, or 0.6 per cent of all deaths.
The department says the overall numbers are consistent with international experience.
Cancer was the most frequent underlying medical condition in assisted deaths, cited in 63 per cent of cases.