After the recent consternation that we shared in
our December 1 communication,
regarding the Briefs that had been submitted to the Federal committee on medical aid in dying (AMAD), but which would not be forwarded to its members because of the impossibility of translating them all within the allotted time, we received this reply from the Committee’s clerk (our translation):
“We would like to inform you that given the very large volume of communications received, no decision has yet been made regarding the distribution of these Briefs or communications.”
We will be keeping a close eye on this matter and will not be appeased with this answer indefinitely. In this week’s communication, we return to our prompt reaction to the Radio-Canada report broadcast on December 4 on the Téléjournal: Choisir de mourir quand les souffrances n’ont plus sens.
As a reminder, today, December 7, specialized nurse practitioners will be able to assess and administer medical aid in dying, and hospices in Quebec will now be obliged to offer MAiD.
We would like to thank all those who work in these hospices who make it possible that their residents choose Palliative Care with confidence, thanks to the exceptional quality of their support.
Thank you for your encouragement,
Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre
Coordinator
Living with Dignity citizen network
Our reaction to the Radio-Canada report
We posted this communication on Facebook the day after the broadcast of a report on medical assistance in dying for a man with Multiple Sclerosis (translated in English):
Here is our reaction to the broadcast on Radio-Canada Téléjournal on December 4th at 6 p.m and 10 p.m.
We do not intend to comment on Mr. Alain Goudreau personal story (we offer our sincere condolences to his family).
However, we would like to address the collective issues that it raises. Several excerpts from the report by journalists Davide Gentile and Daniel Boily ( in French, https://ici.radio-canada.ca/info/long-format/2031250/aide-mourir-souffrances-temoignage ) should challenge Quebec to avoid premature deaths:
“When I went into emergency at the hospital, in February 2022, there was a neurologist who told me: I can sign your medical aid in dying…”
“When you’re disabled, you become a burden on others…”
“…he preempts medical aid in dying to avoid the CHSLD (…) a worse death…”
“…a man like Alain had no place in what awaited him if he had decided to stay alive.”
These excerpts offer plenty of food for thought for the research team commissioned by the Minister responsible for Seniors, Ms. Sonia Bélanger, to reflect on the meteoric rise in the administration of medical aid in dying in Quebec.
We have so much to do to improve medical aid in living…
We reacted in a similar way (in French) via our accounts on X and Linkedin. We also responded to publications by the Association pour le Droit de Mourir dans la Dignité (in France), which was trying to use the report to campaign for the opening up of active aid in dying in its country.
Read it (in French) on X and on Facebook. You can always count on our vigilance with regard to these issues, which is at the heart of our mission.
Other news
– According to a report, Canada falls short in several areas of healthcare compared to other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, via the Globe and Mail (paywall).
– Faire une place aux personnes en situation de handicap, by Paul Lupien, President of the Confédération des organismes de personnes handicapées du Québec (COPHAN), via Le Soleil.
– When is suicide considered “rational”? Offering assisted suicide to people who aren’t dying such as people with mental illness has far-reaching implications, by Mary J. Shariff, a professor of law at the University of Manitoba & a constitutional lawyer and executive director of Christian Legal Fellowship, in Policy Options.
– Allison was diagnosed with cancer late last year. The BC Cancer Agency advised her to consider medical assistance in dying. She decided to seek treatment in the United States and is currently celebrating her recent marriage, via Global News.
– Cancer treatment delayed, BC man opts for physician-assisted death, via The Vancouver Sun.
The news was picked up by the National Post.
Our condolences to Mr. Dan Quayle’s loved ones
(photo below: Mr. Quayle at his daughter-in-law’s wedding).
DEC
2023