Conference Agenda

Background: On June 17, 2016 the Supreme Court of Canada passed a law permitting Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) following the landmark case of Carter vs Canada. Now that established mechanisms for the provision of MAiD are available, it is important to understand what information and supports people need during the time before the assisted death occurs. It is integral that we develop insight into the impact MAiD has on Canadians to better understand the ramifications of the changing landscape of end-of-life care. There is a shift happening now as many Canadians are beginning to appreciate the need to have conversations about what is important to them at the end of life and take action which allow them greater control over their dying experience. Death is being disrupted and is no longer viewed solely as a medical failure but rather as a normative life event. This important life experience is one that Canadians are keen to reclaim and play an active role in shaping the healthcare systems and policies that frame it. This workshop project will provide insight into experiences in Canada and the efforts making to improve education and social discourse on MAiD.

Target Audience: People who are interested in learning more about MAiD in Canada and some of the community engagement efforts being used as part of a national research study exploring Canadian experiences with MAiD.

Learning Objectives: 1). Acquire a deeper understanding of the experiences of Canadians who are intimately impacted by MAiD throught the sharing of digital stories 2). Increase understanding of the experience of Canadians who have supported someone who chose MAiD at the end of their life through digital stories, a podcast and community education initiatives.

Structure of the Workshop: This experiential workshop will share some of the integrated knowledge translation tools informing a 5 year national research project on Canadians experiences with MAiD. It will begin with a short background on the history of MAiD in Canada, the context and the present day landscape. The workshop will focus sharing 3 different community engagement initiatives utilized in the research project as ongoing tools for knowledge translation. 1). Digital stories created by people who have experiences with MAiD. 2). An overview of the reach and lessons learned from launching a podcast “Disrupting Death” in Feb. 2023. 3). “Die-alogues” community engagement event hosted by the research team.