>The rate of medical assistance in dying - also known as euthanasia - has grown in Canada for the fifth straight year, albeit at a slower pace.

>The country released its fifth annual report since legalising assisted dying in 2016, which for the first time included data on the ethnicity of those seeking euthanasia.

>Around 15,300 people underwent assisted dying last year, accounting for 4.7% of deaths in the country. Canada lawmakers are currently seeking to expand access to euthanasia to cover people with mental illnesses by 2027.

>Canada is among a few countries that have introduced assisted dying laws in the past decade. Others include Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Austria.

>The figures released on Wednesday by Health Canada show that the rate of assisted dying in Canada increased by nearly 16% in 2023. This number is a sharp drop from the average increase of 31% in previous years.

>The report cautioned that it is too early to determine what caused the rate to slacken.

>Nearly all of those who requested assisted dying - around 96% - had a foreseeable natural death. The remaining 4% were granted euthanasia due to having a long-term chronic illness and where a natural death was not imminent.

>The average age of those seeking assisted dying was around 77 years old, with cancer being the most frequent underlying medical condition.

>For the first time, the report delved into race and ethnic data of those who died by euthanasia.

Around 96% of recipients identified as white people, who account for about 70% of Canada's population. It is unclear what caused this disparity.

>The second most reported ethnic group was east Asians (1.8%), who account for about 5.7% of Canadians.

>Assisted dying continued to have the highest usage rate in Quebec, which accounted for nearly 37% of all euthanasia deaths, despite the province holding just 22% of Canada's population.

>Quebec's government launched a study earlier this year to examine why its euthanasia rate was so high.

>[...] Like the UK, Canada initially only legalised assisted dying for those whose death was "reasonably foreseeable".

>However, Canada expanded access in 2021 to people who may not have a terminal diagnosis, but want to end their life because of a chronic, debilitating condition.

>It was set to broaden access once again to people with mental illnesses earlier this year.

>But that was delayed for the second time after concerns were raised by Canadian provinces, which oversee healthcare delivery, about whether the system could cope with such an expansion.

>On Wednesday, Health Canada defended the procedure, saying that the criminal code sets out "strict eligibility" criteria.

>But Cardus, a Christian think tank, said the latest figures were "alarming" and showed Canada has one of the fastest growing euthanasia programmes in the world.

>A report released in October by Ontario - Canada's most populous province - has since shed some light on controversial cases where people were granted assisted dying when they were not nearing their natural death.

>One example included a woman in her 50s with a history of depression and suicidal thoughts who had a severe sensitivity to chemicals.

>Her request for euthanasia was granted after she failed to secure housing that could have met her medical needs.

>Another case made headlines in recent months of a Nova Scotia cancer patient who said she was asked if she was aware of assisted dying as an option twice as she underwent mastectomy surgeries.

>The question "came up in completely inappropriate places", she told the National Post.

>Canadian news outlets have also reported on cases where people with disabilities have considered assisted dying due to lack of housing or disability benefits.

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