Our Living with Dignity Newsletter
Dear
Allies,
We are
eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s recommendations from the federal Special Joint
Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD). It will come exactly ten years
after the coming into force of the legislation legalizing Medical Assistance in
Dying (MAiD) in Canada.
Before
responding through a media statement, we have prepared a new edition of our
newsletter as developments related to the issues at the heart of our mission
continue to make headlines.
Together,
Jasmin
Lemieux-Lefebvre
Coordinator
Living with Dignity citizen network
AMM pour trouble mental prévue en 2027
Recommendation for an “Indefinite Suspension”
The
front page of the National Post reported this morning that the federal MAiD
committee “is expected to recommend the federal government halt the expansion
of MAiD to those whose sole condition is a mental disorder, the latest
development in a drawn-out and controversial chapter in the country’s
assisted-death regime.”
This is excellent news, but we anticipate
strong opposition to such a recommendation. The article continues:
“The joint committee of senators and MPs struck
to revisit Canada’s preparedness for medical assistance in dying for those with
mental illness alone is expected to recommend an “indefinite pause” on the
expansion, two sources told National Post. They spoke on the condition of
anonymity as they are not authorized to speak on the committee’s behalf. A
temporary exclusion is set to be lifted in March 2027”
Once the recommendations are officially
released tomorrow, our team will prepare and publish an official response. You
will receive it at the same time as federal parliamentarians and the media.
After reading our statement, we encourage you to contact your Member of
Parliament and share your own reaction.
ANESTHÉSIA - A French Documentary on “Assisted Dying”
A new
documentary on end-of-life practices in several countries that have legalized
assisted dying is on the horizon: ANESTHÉSIA.
We are very
eager to see this film and to discover its segment on Quebec, which focuses on
Indigenous realities.
Trailer:
https://youtu.be/kamQBDdueCs?si=LFSxyEuJEoABU02h
Interested
as well? Excerpts from the press kit can be downloaded here:
https://www.orawa-prod.com/films/anesthesia
There is little doubt that this documentary
project also hopes to contribute to a possible rejection in France of a form of
“assisted dying” (euthanasia or assisted suicide), but it does not present
itself as a polarizing work. We particularly appreciate the way the project is
described:
“The end-of-life debate is often portrayed as a confrontation between two irreconcilable camps. On one side, individual freedom. On the other, the protection of the vulnerable. But reality is infinitely more complex. ANESTHÉSIA does not seek to impose an answer; it seeks to make visible the human consequences of decisions that engage an entire society. And it asks an existential question: What can we do, individually and collectively, to make life preferable to death?”
Best wishes to Damien Boyer and the entire Orawa Production team as they prepare for the June 24th launch.
AMM au Québec dans le New York Times
How Quebec, in a Decade, Came to Lead the World in Assisted Dying
Yesterday, New York Times journalist Norimitsu Onishi published an article entitled How Quebec, in a Decade, Came to Lead the World in Assisted Dying.
To explore the subject, the article focuses primarily on the new Lanaudière Palliative and End-of-Life Care Pavilion and features, among others, Dr. Louis Daigle, who argues that there is now in Quebec “a belief that there are two good ways to die: suddenly, or through medical assistance in dying.”
The article also includes comments from Dr. Lucie Poitras of the Commission on End-of-Life Care, playwright Manuelle Légaré and her documentary theatre production Club sandwich mayonnaise, as well as Isabelle Marcoux and Marie-Eve Bouthillier of the Interdisciplinary Research Consortium on Medical Assistance in Dying (CIRAMM).
The article places significant emphasis on the idea that the rapid increase in MAiD cannot be separated from Quebec’s modern history, the Quiet Revolution, and the rejection of Catholic teaching.
It is worth noting, however, that CIRAMM’s preliminary findings suggest that this dimension is only part of the equation. Other societal factors include the growing association between “MAiD and dignity,” fear of long-term care facilities, fear of being a burden, and broader social acceptability.
Overall, it is an interesting piece of journalism, but one that leaves little room for critical perspectives on the evolution of MAiD — including concerns that MAiD is no longer the exceptional measure originally promised, controversies surrounding Track 2 MAiD, and the subtle or indirect pressures that some individuals may experience.
Perhaps these perspectives will appear in a future article. We intend to help make that happen.
When Medical Assistance in Dying Goes Wrong
“The
narrative that MAiD provides a peaceful, beautiful death every time is false. (…)
Informed consent requires disclosure of complications and adverse outcomes, not
just promises of a beautiful death.”
We support this response by Dr. Ramona Coelho to the front-page National Post
article of June 3, 2026 (available on her X account).
Excerpts of
the article ‘Help Me’: When MAiD Goes Wrong are available here:
https://vivredignite.org/en/when-medical-assistance-in-dying-goes-wrong
We have also included links to the two studies cited in the article:
- Medications and Dosages Used in
Medical Assistance in Dying:
A Cross-Sectional Study (2022)
2. Narratives of Dignity in Complex MAiD Bereavement Stories (2025)
Club sandwich mayonnaise Coming to Quebec City and 13 Other Communities in 2027
Club sandwich mayonnaise, Manuelle Légaré’s documentary theatre production presented by Porte Parole, will arrive in Quebec City on May 24, 2027.
According to theatre magazine JEU, the production dares to “crack the consensus on medical assistance in dying.”
Tickets have been available since last Thursday through Salle Albert-Rousseau.
As of today, the 2027 tour is also scheduled to visit Terrebonne, Laval, Granby, Sainte-Thérèse, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Hyacinthe, Shawinigan, Sherbrooke, Joliette, Drummondville, Saint-Eustache, Brossard, and Gatineau.
Purchase your tickets today and experience this remarkable theatrical phenomenon:
https://porteparole.org/fr/2026/06/11/club-sandwich-mayonnaise-en-tournee-au-printemps-2027
Our review and thematic page.
Media Review
– How
Quebec Influenced the Rest of Canada on MAiD — La Presse canadienne (in French)
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/sante/2026-06-15/aide-medicale-a-mourir/comment-le-quebec-a-influence-le-reste-du-canada.php Also published on page B8 of Le
Devoir this morning. We wrote to the journalist to respectfully point out
the absence of critical voices.
– 10-year
anniversary of MAID in Canada invites love, pain and shame — The Canadian Press
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/06/15/10-year-anniversary-of-maid-in-canada-invites-love-pain-and-shame
Four personal testimonies are presented; only one, that of Isabel Grant, raises
concerns about Track 2 MAiD.
– Quebec
Constitution Project — Simon Jolin-Barrette Abandons the Initiative — La Presse
(in French)
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/2026-06-11/projet-de-constitution-du-quebec/simon-jolin-barrette-jette-l-eponge.php
Our citizen network had criticized the proposal to entrench in a
constitution “the protection of the right to die with dignity and to receive
medical assistance in dying.” We welcome the abandonment of this constitutional
bill.
– Home Care
Services Disappearing — Le Devoir (in French)
https://www.ledevoir.com/actualites/sante/983399/reduction-heures-soins-domicile-nouvelle-epreuve-benjamin-leclair
Thank you to Benjamin Leclair, Moelle épinière et motricité Québec, and Ex
aequo for speaking out.
– “Aging
with Dignity” Video Capsule (4 min., in French)
https://www.facebook.com/reel/998546666404528
Congratulations to the Projet ReVie initiative, led by a steering committee
composed of the Fédération québécoise de l’autisme, Proche aidance Québec, the
Société québécoise de la déficience intellectuelle, and Université Laval,
together with many partners.
– Viral
Video by End-of-Life Companion Geneviève Léger (in French)
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1715806642779566
A heartfelt appeal to visit loved ones who are nearing the end of life or
simply aging alone.
– Have You
Spoken to an Elder Today? – Annick Maugile Flavien, Le Devoir (in French)
https://www.ledevoir.com/opinion/idees/987773/avez-vous-parle-personne-agee-aujourd-hui
An important reminder of the need to report elder abuse and of our
collective responsibility to combat ageism.
JUN
2026