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Esteemed children’s author Robert Munsch has gained clearance for medically assisted dying in Canada.

Munsch, whose over 80 titles feature The Paper Bag Princess, was found to have dementia in 2021 and also has Parkinson's disease.

Munsch explained that he had not decided a date for his death, but mentioned he would move forward "when I start having major challenges speaking and expressing myself."

Canada began allowing assisted dying in 2016 for people with terminal illnesses. Two years ago, the rules were amended to include those with significant ongoing medical problems, including non-life threatening situations.

Munsch has distributed over 80 million books just in North America and his stories have been rendered in over 20 tongues—among them Arabic, Spanish and Anishinaabemowin.

Back in 1999, Munsch was made a member of the Order of Canada. In 2009, he earned a place on Canada's Walk of Fame downtown Toronto.

Munsch revealed that his decision was influenced by watching his sibling die from Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as motor neurone disease.

He said, "They kept him alive with extensive measures. My view was, allow nature to take its course."

Throughout the country, people aged 18 and above must meet a number of conditions to be qualified for medical assistance in dying.

These include having a "serious and incurable illness", making a "voluntary request" that is independent of outside influence, and being in an "profound phase of permanent deterioration in function".

A pair of separate doctors or nurse practitioners must then evaluate the individual to verify that every necessary criteria are satisfied.

Munsch's publishing house remarked that his decision to share openly about assisted death "reinforces why Robert's stories continues to resonate with people of all ages."

Munsch's child, Julie, shared that her father's choice to seek end-of-life care was determined half a decade back.

Julie referred to the interview as "well-done", but clarified that "it doesn’t mention is it suggested my dad is declining rapidly, and certainly not that he's going to die imminently."

As per the country’s legislation, the person must be able to actively consent on the day of his death.

Munsch noted, "It’s essential I choose the moment while I am still able for it."

Assisted death represented 4.7% of passings in Canada in 2023, according to the newest national data.

Some 96 percent of the those who chose assisted dying who opted for the procedure in 2023 had a death deemed "likely imminent", because of critical diagnoses like cancer.