Medical assistance in dying in Canada
Provincial and Indigenous trends & human rights perspectives
Feb 25, 2026 — 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.
The Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) is pleased to partner with the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics (CHLPE) and LIFE Research Institute to present this event with Professor Mary Helen McSweeney-Feld, Ph.D. FGSA, 2025 Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Human Rights and Social Justice at HRREC.
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in Canada: Provincial and Indigenous trends & human rights perspectives
Since the passage of Bill C-14 in 2016, MAID use has grown in all provinces in Canada. However, MAID legislation implementation has differed by province, and year-over-year increases in people receiving MAID are greater than the national average in some areas, especially the Atlantic provinces. MAID use by people identifying as Indigenous has also grown significantly. An overview of MAID legislation, provincial and Indigenous MAID trends, and implications for human rights and social justice will be explored.
Mary Helen McSweeney-Feld
2025 Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Human Rights & Social Justice
Mary Helen McSweeney-Feld is an associate professor and program director for the Master of Science in Health Science program at Towson University in Maryland. Originally trained as a health economist, she has evolved her academic focus to health administration, particularly in the areas of aging service delivery, long-term care administration, emergency preparedness, and population health management.
She is the lead editor and author of the award-winning textbook Dimensions of Long-Term Care Management: An Introduction, now in its third edition. She has also published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. Her work has been supported by grants from U.S. government agencies and private foundations. She is also a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.
During her Fulbright residency at HRREC, Mary Helen will examine the implementation of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) across Canadian provinces, focusing on rural regions such as the Maritimes. Her research will examine provincial variations in policy and healthcare provider perspectives, contributing valuable insights to ongoing discussions around end-of-life care in Canada.
She holds degrees from Wellesley College, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, and her Ph.D. from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She is also a licensed nursing home administrator in the United States and has held numerous academic leadership roles throughout her career.