MAiD, Death and Dying Discussion Series for Peer Supporters

Program Information

Peer Support Canada and PeerWorks invite peer supporters to apply to participate in a 3-session limited enrollment discussion series for peer supporters actively involved in supporting people considering or exploring Medical Assistance in Dying.

PeerWorks and Peer Support Canada acknowledge that Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) has evoked strong views among people with lived experience, peer supporters, health professionals, and society at large. Regardless of one’s personal feelings, those working in the healthcare field are confronted with duties to facilitate access to MAID for those eligible for this legally available option.

Peer supporters need to be prepared to have conversations about death, dying, and end-of-life, whether they are supportive or not supportive of MAID. As people who have often personally navigated challenges associated with death and dying, peer support workers are naturally equipped to be able to navigate these conversations.

We affirm that peer supporters should also be free to exercise their conscience responsibly in their practice of peer support. They should not be expected to participate in providing support that they feel unprepared and/or unable to provide due to a lack of training, guidance, support, and/or on the grounds of personal convictions and beliefs. Peer supporters are also entitled to the resources and support they need to be able to have these conversations.

This discussion series has been developed for educational purposes by a team of nine people with lived and peer support experience. We hope for it to strengthen peer supporters’ comfort and skills in supporting compassionate and educated responses to peers asking questions and seeking to engage in conversations about MAID.

Session Dates and Times

Note that all times are in EST. Please convert to your respective time zone. Time zone converter.  

Session 1

  • Time: Wednesday July 9th 1:00 – 3:00 EST
  • Topic: Death, end of life, and grief in peer communities

Session 2

  • Time: Wednesday July 16th 1:00 – 3:30 EST 
  • Topic: Conversations with peers about eligibility and ineligibility for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)

Session 3:

  • Time: Wednesday July 23rd 1:00 – 2:30 
  • Topic: The peer support role, standards, and personal boundaries around MAiD

Session Format

The discussion series involves 8–10 hours of interactive sessions focused on practical strategies for supporting peers in a peer support role, using scenarios and structured discussion guides shared in advance. Each session includes check-ins, group guidelines, and reflection prompts to support learning. 

Please note that this is not a space for debating MAiD legislation or learning basic MAiD information—participants are expected to come prepared and remain focused on peer support practice.

Eligibility

To be eligible to attend this discussion series, participants must:

  • Be in a formal frontline (non-supervisory) paid or volunteer peer support role in Canada
  • Have experience supporting people:
    • Considering or pursuing Medical Assistance in Dying or, given the nature of your role, can reasonably foresee providing such support within the next 6-12 months; and/or
    • With serious life-limiting or terminal conditions who are receiving palliative and/or end-of-life care.
  • Be familiar with what Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada is and the MAiD request, assessment, and provision process.This can be obtained by reviewing the following information:
  • Be available and commit to attending the full discussion series (all three sessions) so as to not take away a seat from someone able to participate fully.
  • Agree to complete a short survey before and after the discussion series which asks questions about readiness to engage in conversations about MAiD and for feedback to improve the sessions.

Application and Selection Process

To express your interest in participating in the discussion series (in the April cohort or a future cohort), please complete this application form by Friday June 20th, 2025. 

  • Everyone who registers by the deadline will have an equal chance of being accepted into the series as we will be using a lottery approach to selection rather than first-come-first served.

  • In selecting the first 12 participants, we endeavor to create a cohort reflecting diversity across province/territory and peer support contexts.

  • Waitlisted applicants will be notified about future offerings of the discussion series

  • Consider where you are at in your personal learning around Medical Assistance in Dying. If this is not the right time for you to participate in challenging conversations on this topic, please add your name to the waitlist for a future offering of the series.

Apply Now to Participate in the July 9, 16, 23rd round of the MAiD Discussion Series for Peer Supporters
Peer Support Canada