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Beloved storyteller Robert Munsch has gained clearance for medical aid in dying in Canada.

Munsch, whose 85 books in print are led by classics like The Paper Bag Princess, was found to have memory loss in 2021 and is affected by a Parkinson’s diagnosis.

He noted that he had not decided a final day, but indicated he would move forward "once I begin experiencing significant difficulty talking and communicating."

Canada first legalised assisted dying in 2016 for people with life-ending conditions. In 2021, the rules were amended to cover those with significant ongoing health issues, even in non-terminal cases.

Munsch has sold more than 80 million books just in North America and his works have been published in two dozen languages—among them multiple global and local dialects.

In 1999, Munsch was made a member of the prestigious national order. Ten years after, he received a place on Canada's Walk of Fame downtown Toronto.

Munsch revealed that his path was influenced by seeing his sibling die from ALS, which is motor neurone disease.

He commented, "He was sustained via numerous procedures. I thought, allow nature to take its course."

In Canada, adults who are adults must meet multiple conditions to be approved for medical assistance in dying.

These include having a "grave and untreatable condition", making a "self-motivated application" that is free from coercion, and being in an "profound phase of unavoidable degradation in function".

Two independent medical professionals must then evaluate the individual to confirm that all necessary criteria are satisfied.

Munsch's publishing house remarked that his decision to discuss frankly about medically assisted dying "highlights why Robert's work continues to impact countless readers."

Munsch's offspring, Julie, posted that her father's plan to opt for medically assisted dying was made half a decade back.

Julie described the article as "great", but clarified that "nowhere is it suggested my dad isn't doing well, nor that he's passing away imminently."

As per the country’s legislation, the patient must be in a position to provide clear consent on the time of the procedure.

Munsch stated, "It’s essential I choose the point when I can still ask for it."

Medical aid in dying represented almost five percent of deaths in Canada in 2023, based on the latest public records.

Approximately 96 percent of the over 15,000 individuals who opted for medical assistance in 2023 had a death deemed "reasonably foreseeable", as a result of severe medical conditions such as cancer.