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Earlier this week, we marked the 10th anniversary of the coming into force of the law legalizing medical assistance in dying in Canada on June 17th, 2016. The Canadian Press article published on June 15th to highlight Quebec’s influence on this evolution presents a largely idealized picture that is difficult to accept in 2026. The documentary play by Manuelle Légaré (Club sandwich mayonnaise, produced by Porte Parole) and the June cover story in L’Actualité magazine, for example, clearly illustrate problems that can no longer be denied. The drift from the original promise of a “last-resort treatment,” the lack of genuine choice due to inadequate access to appropriate care and services, the absence of data on palliative care (both quality and access), and the more or less subtle pressures placed on people who are ill or living with disabilities – these issues have now become far too numerous to be swept under the rug. 

One aspect of Quebec’s influence that should not be forgotten is its rejection of medical assistance in dying for mental illness. We welcome the brand-new recommendation of the federal committee on medical assistance in dying to “indefinitely exclude persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness from eligibility for MAID,” as it follows Quebec’s lead on this issue.