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Well-known storyteller Robert Munsch has been approved for medically assisted dying in Canada.

Munsch, who has 85 published books include Love You Forever, was found to have memory loss in 2021 and is affected by a Parkinson’s diagnosis.

Munsch stated that he had not decided a date for his death, but shared he would move forward "once I begin experiencing significant difficulty holding conversations."

Canada first legalised euthanasia in 2016 for people with incurable diseases. In 2021, the rules were amended to include those with significant ongoing health issues, including non-terminal cases.

Munsch has sold more than 80 million copies of his books across the continent and his works have been rendered in at least 20 languages—such as Arabic, Spanish and Anishinaabemowin.

Over twenty years ago, Munsch was honored as part of the prestigious national order. A decade later, he was awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame downtown Toronto.

Munsch explained that his choice was shaped by observing his brother succumb to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, referred to as a degenerative condition.

He stated, "Medical teams prolonged his life through all these interventions. My view was, he should be permitted to pass."

Throughout the country, adults aged 18 and above must fulfill several conditions to be approved for aid in dying.

Requirements involve having a "grave and untreatable condition", making a "unpressured decision" that is not the result of coercion, and being in an "profound phase of irreversible decline in ability".

A pair of separate doctors or nurse practitioners must then assess the individual to confirm that all qualifying conditions are met.

Munsch's publisher stated that his choice to speak publicly about medically assisted dying "reinforces why Robert's legacy continues to impact countless readers."

Munsch's daughter, Julie, wrote that her dad’s choice to opt for end-of-life care was chosen five years ago.

Julie called the interview as "informative", but clarified that "at no point is it suggested my dad is declining rapidly, and certainly not that he's leaving us in the near future."

As per the country’s legislation, the patient must be able to give explicit agreement on the day of his death.

Munsch emphasized, "I have to pick the point while I am still able for it."

Assisted death accounted for almost five percent of deaths in Canada in 2023, per the newest official government statistics.

Approximately 96 percent of the 15,300 people who received the procedure in 2023 had a death regarded as "reasonably foreseeable", as a result of grave health issues such as cancer.