Empowering MAiD professionals

Increasing access to better healthcare for all Canadians.

Every day, thousands of Canadian patients need compassionate, high-quality end-of-life care. Some make the personal choice to receive medical assistance in dying (MAiD).

We work to ensure the professionals who provide this care receive education, mentorship, and support, helping increase coast-to-coast access to the highest standards of MAiD for eligible patients.

Their choice matters. Your donation empowers it.

Know the facts

MAiD is a deeply personal issue that requires thoughtful discussion, not misinformation.

Below are some common misconceptions about MAiD. Hover over each one to get evidence-based facts.

Misconception
"There is no difference between MAiD and suicide"
Fact

MAiD is a highly regulated, non-violent medical intervention for eligible patients making a considered choice. Trained healthcare professionals and, in many cases, loved ones are involved in the process. Suicide is often a violent act carried out in isolation, leaving loved ones in sudden, devastating grief.

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Misconception
"If my loved one is feeling hopeless, that's enough of a reason to qualify for it."
Fact

Feeling hopeless does not make you eligible for MAiD. For all patients there are strict eligibility criteria and robust procedural safeguards. For patients whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable, including patients with a sole underlying mental disorder, there are additional procedural safeguards.

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Misconception
"Healthcare professionals are pushing it on people."
Fact

No. Clinicians listen and provide information so that patients can make informed choices about their care. If the patient makes a voluntary and informed request, is eligible to access MAID, and has completed all procedural safeguards, a patient may then request that the clinician provide them with MAiD.

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Misconception
"Assisted dying violates human rights."
Fact

MAiD was enshrined into law following constitutional court challenges that were brought and won by people with both terminal and non-terminal illnesses, ensuring patients can exercise their constitutional right to compassionate end of life care.

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Misconception
"My patients who want MAiD automatically qualify for it."
Fact

There are robust safeguards to ensure that a patient’s decision to access MAiD cannot be made in the spur of the moment and without appropriate clinician consultation. Patients must have the capacity to make an informed and voluntary decision.

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Misconception
"It replaces palliative care."
Fact

MAiD is not a replacement but rather part of the continuum of end-of-life care. CAMAP supports the investment into palliative care healthcare services.

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Misconception
"MAiD access comes at the expense of better housing and disability supports."
Fact

As healthcare providers, we feel all Canadians should have access to needed social supports. But the law is clear — MAiD cannot be accessed based on social inequities alone. It does not replace these supports but provides choices to eligible patients.

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Misconception
"As a healthcare professional, becoming a MAiD provider will be isolating and ostracizing."
Fact

CAMAP is the leading professional body of MAiD supporters and practitioners, connecting professionals and fostering community to ensure no MAiD practitioner feels isolated. Members access education, networking, and mentorship to deliver the highest standards of MAiD care.

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Misconception
"Becoming a MAiD assessor or provider will open me up to liability."
Fact

Clinicians are protected from civil liability when following all MAiD laws, including the Criminal Code of Canada and provincial policies. MAiD professionals are encouraged to take the nationally-accredited Canadian MAiD Curriculum to adhere to the highest standard of care.

Learn more (Ch. 1.3, Page 23)

Who we are

CAMAP is the leading body of professionals in the field of medical assistance in dying. We bring together an interdisciplinary community of professionals, offering education, mentorship, and support to increase capacity in Canadian healthcare for eligible patients to have the choice to access MAiD.

More information

CAMAP is the leading body of professionals in the field of medical assistance in dying. As the sole member-led organization for MAiD professionals, CAMAP fosters community and offers education, mentorship, and support to ensure the highest standard of care

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) is a legal process that permits eligible patients experiencing a grievous and irremediable condition to seek aid from a trained practitioner in ending their life.

A number of eligibility requirements and safeguards must be met for a person to receive MAiD. They must make a signed, dated, and witnessed written request, which is then evaluated by two independent healthcare professionals to determine whether the MAiD eligibility criteria has been met.

Once a patient has been deemed eligible (and after a minimum 90-day assessment period for those whose death is not naturally foreseeable), a practitioner will administer medication through an IV with the patient's ongoing consent The process is painless and usually takes between 5-20 minutes.

It is not the role of clinicians to convince anyone to request access to MAiD. Our role is to listen to provide patient-informed care. If the patient meets the eligibility criteria and the request is voluntary, then our role is to provide MAiD.

We believe high-quality healthcare is a result of the well-informed professional body. CAMAP's delivery of educational opportunities to clinicians increases access to assessments and provisions for eligible patients to choose.

CAMAP's role is to support clinicians in providing a high-quality standard of care that adheres to the law. Our members respect the autonomy of a patient to choose so long as they are eligible to receive MAiD.

Your donation supports the delivery of educational opportunities to clinicians, ensuring their patients receive compassionate, high quality end-of-life careIt will help MAiD professionals continue this important work well into the future, and empower the choices of eligible patients.

Your story can make an impact.

We encourage you to download the graphics below and post about your story and why you support CAMAP on social media with the hashtag #ChooseCAMAP

"CAMAP is dedicated to supporting healthcare professionals and helping them ensure the highest standards of MAiD care, because without their compassion and dedication, the option of end-of-life care could not exist. Your donation helps us carry on that work, making a lasting and indelible impact."

Konia Trouton

President, CAMAP