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Montreal, October 20, 2023 – The Living with Dignity citizen network (LWD) expresses its disappointment with the rejection of Bill C-314, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), in the House of Commons on October 18. The Bill was narrowly defeated by only 17 votes. Without this legislative barrier, Canadians who cite mental disorders as their sole medical condition could have access to medical assistance in dying as early as March 17, 2024. Given this situation, members of the Quebec National Assembly must ensure that this does not happen in Quebec.

A Transpartisan Vote

While the Bill was sponsored by the Conservative Party of Canada’s Member of Parliament, Mr. Ed Fast, members of the NDP and the Green Party joined their Conservative counterparts in supporting it. Eight Liberal Party MPs did the same, resulting in a vote of 150 in favor and 167 against (vote details).

We commend this transpartisan vote, which clearly shows that the issue of expanding access to medical assistance in dying transcends political party lines. We would like to thank the 12 Quebec MPs who voted in accordance with the recommendations of the Select Committee on the Evolution of the Act respecting end-of-life care (2021). Recommendation 11 of their report should not be forgotten: “Do not expand access to medical assistance in dying to individuals whose sole medical condition is a mental disorder.”

– Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre, Coordinator of the Living with Dignity Citizen Network.

According to one of the most recent surveys on the topic in Canada, it is worth noting that only 31% of Quebecers support this expansion (2021). These data are reiterated in the latest study by Angus Reid, which indicates that Canadians who struggle to get help in mental health are more likely to support expanding eligibility.

 Quebec and Canadian Context

In Quebec, the 2022-23 annual report from the Commission on End-of-Life Care is expected to be made public shortly. The Minister responsible for this matter, Ms. Sonia Bélanger, received it no later than September 30 and is expected to table it in the National Assembly within 30 days of receiving it. Given the concerns expressed by the Commission earlier this summer (which can be read online, in French), this annual update is eagerly awaited.

In Ottawa, on October 18, Canadian MPs supported a motion to re-appoint the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD). This committee must submit its report no later than January 31, 2024. According to Recommendation 13 from the previous MAiD committee’s last report, its mission will be to “to verify the degree of preparedness attained for a safe and adequate application of MAiD (in cases where mental disorder is the sole medical condition).”

What will happen if the work of the joint committee does not ensure this “safe and adequate” implementation?

The Federal government will need to find a way to backtrack to prevent the premature deaths of the most vulnerable patients.

There are numerous reasons to oppose this expansion, as reminded by the October 13 Brief from the Society of Canadian Psychiatry (launched in 2023 by Dr. K. Sonu Gaind, a professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and a former president of the Canadian Psychiatric Association), which recommends that the planned 2024 “MAiD for mental illness” expansion be paused indefinitely.

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The Living with Dignity citizen network will be ready to respond promptly after the release of the 2022-2023 report from the Commission on End-of-Life Care.