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Coalition of 27 Organizations Calls for Concrete Commitments to Improve Access to Palliative Care Across Quebec

We are sharing the press release sent yesterday to the media by the Coalition du Québec pour l'accès aux soins palliatifs, of which we are a member. It is also available online, in both English and French, on the website of the Association québécoise de soins palliatifs.

Montreal, September 13, 2026 — While health care occupies a prominent place in Quebec’s election campaign, access to palliative care remains largely absent from the commitments announced so far by political parties.

According to Dr. Olivia Nguyen, a palliative care physician and spokesperson for the Quebec Coalition for Access to Palliative Care (the Coalition), a first step is quite simple: “Quite simply, we first hope to hear party leaders mention palliative care when they discuss health care solutions during the campaign.” She adds, “we also invite them to put forward concrete commitments that will ensure more equitable access to these services, better meeting the needs of patients and their loved ones, to ultimately reduce costs and pressure on the health and social services system.”

Palliative care is still too often associated only with the final days of life, despite the fact that it can be integrated early into a patient’s care journey to provide comfort, support, and psychological assistance.

To ensure equitable access to high-quality palliative care for all Quebecers who could benefit from it, the Coalition submitted five recommendations to political parties before the start of the campaign: 

1. Strengthen governance and clinical coordination to reduce inequalities in access between regions across Quebec;

2. Improve training for health care professionals, service providers, attendants, volunteers, and others who support patients and their families;

3. Increase public awareness to dispel myths surrounding palliative care and encourage earlier access to these services;

4. Establish a national observatory on palliative and end-of-life care to monitor quality indicators, population needs, and best practices, while helping guide research in the field;

5. Provide sustainable financial support for palliative care resources, including human and professional resources, palliative care centres, homecare services, and family caregivers, to ensure continuity, accessibility, and quality of care throughout Quebec.

The Coalition hopes that the coming weeks of the campaign will allow political parties to clarify their intentions regarding palliative and end-of-life care.

The needs already exist and will continue to grow. The Coalition therefore calls on all political parties to make palliative care a component of their health care commitments and to propose measures that ensure everyone who needs such care can access it at the right time and in the setting that best suits their needs. 

About the Coalition

The Coalition is a group of 27 organizations whose mission is to collectively promote equitable access to high-quality palliative care by advancing all aspects of palliative care throughout Quebec. It recognizes the tireless work of palliative care specialists, as well as all professionals who, while not experts in the field, are committed to providing care grounded in compassion and respect.

More information can be found at:

  https://www.aqsp.org/coalition.

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