{"id":17495,"date":"2025-10-11T11:37:48","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T15:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/?p=17495"},"modified":"2025-10-13T07:42:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T11:42:12","slug":"newsletter-oct-11-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/newsletter-oct-11-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Quebec Constitution and MAiD, changes to our Board of Directors, and tributes to Dr. Balfour Mount"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Dear allies,<\/span><\/p>\n

Like many of you, we were shocked last Thursday to see that the first announcements about a Quebec constitution mentioned \u201cprotecting Quebecers’ right to medical assistance in dying.\u201d The proposed legislation refers instead to \u201cend-of-life care,\u201d but this initiative raises important questions that we would like to discuss with you.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

On this World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, this jam-packed newsletter also introduces you to changes to our citizen network’s board of directors and, of course, we return to the passing of the great Balfour Mount. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

We are honored that our statement, delivered by Dr. Patrick Vinay, was chosen to pay tribute to Dr. Mount in numerous media outlets thanks to articles by The Canadian Press, La Presse canadienne, and Postmedia.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

We present a complete press review of this media coverage, which highlights the invaluable treasure that is palliative care. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Mount’s funeral service will be held in Montreal on Sunday, October 12. It is reserved for family, friends, and close colleagues, but we can join the live broadcast starting at 12:45 p.m. (the service begins at 1 p.m.).<\/a><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

On a personal note, I would like to point out that although my contact with Dr. Mount over the years has been limited to valuable emails, I have always appreciated his unwavering support for our cause.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Living with Dignity is committed to carrying forward his original vision of palliative care, which opposes medical assistance in dying (<\/span>well expressed in his profile on the McGill Palliative Care<\/i><\/span> page<\/span>):<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe suffering of people at the end of life has been enough to legalize euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide but interestingly, not enough to mandate excellence in palliative care for all Canadians. This is an ongoing need and in my view, a tragedy.\u201d

<\/i>We will work tirelessly to respond to this courageous call to action.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you for supporting us in this noble task,<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/p>

Jasmin
Lemieux-Lefebvre
Coordinator
Vivre dans la Dignit\u00e9 Citizen Network

PS This morning, my family and I watched the first episode of the AMI-t\u00e9l\u00e9 series Tous en ch\u0153ur<\/i> (Gregory Charles’ creation of a choir of 15 people with Alzheimer’s disease). It’s a 24-minute gem available online in French on AMI+<\/a> that I highly recommend!<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cMedical assistance in dying\u201d in a possible Quebec constitution?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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As soon as we saw <\/span>this image<\/a> on Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette’s\nsocial media accounts last Thursday (with The constitution will protect\nQuebecers’ right to die with dignity and to seek medical assistance in dying<\/i>),\nwe reacted <\/span>via our own networks<\/a> with these words: \u201cDoes Quebec\nreally want to become the first jurisdiction in the world to enshrine medical\nassistance in dying, a form of assisted death, in its constitution?\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

Upon reviewing the draft 2025 Quebec\nConstitutional Act<\/a>,\nwe discovered that the wording of the bill was quite different from that\npresented in the visual and the official press release. The legislative\nproposal aims to amend the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms by\nadding this section:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\u201c39.2. Every person whose condition so requires\nhas the right to receive end-of-life care, subject to the specific requirements\nset out in the Act respecting end-of-life care (chapter S-32.0001).\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

This raises the question: why emphasize medical\nassistance in dying in an initial communication on \u201cthe right to die with\ndignity\u201d in a constitution, when palliative care is also part of the Act\nrespecting end-of-life care? This seems like a bias that has no place in the\nQuebec government. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>

At a press conference, Minister Jolin-Barrette\neven went so far as to say that the bill protects \u201cthe right of Quebecers to\ndie with dignity and to receive medical assistance in dying when their\ncondition requires it.\u201d This is a surprising statement, because no condition,\neven serious or terminal, \u201crequires\u201d medical assistance in dying. We contacted\nthe minister’s office to ask him to correct this wording. At a time when\npalliative care\u2014neglected for far too long in Quebec\u2014is in \u201ccatch-up mode,\u201d the\nchoice of words and political initiatives on end-of-life issues is becoming\nmore crucial than ever.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Renewal in the governance of Living with Dignity<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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A message from the Chair of the Board of Directors of Living with Dignity, Mr. Alex King:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Drs. Paola Diadori and Patrick Vinay, who are leaving our Board of Directors after several years of service. They have contributed greatly to the sound governance of our citizen network. I am also delighted to announce that Dr. Vinay, former president who has been with us since the very beginning of Living with Dignity, will continue to work with us in an advisory role.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/p>

We are pleased to welcome a new member to our Board of Directors: Ms. Madeleine Varkay. Her biography is now available on our website<\/a>: <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Madeleine Varkay holds a B.A. in Political\nScience and Economics from McGill University and an M.A. in Economic Policy\nManagement from Columbia University. She built an international career with the World Bank and the Asian Development\nBank, where she developed financing projects to mitigate climate risks in Asia,\nhelping communities recover from the economic losses caused by natural\ndisasters.<\/o:p><\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Upon returning to Canada to care for her\nmother, she served as a caregiver for eight years. She consulted with social\nservice organizations and worked closely with social workers and CLSC nurses.\nThroughout her mother\u2019s illness, she coordinated medical care and managed\nemergency support with various hospitals in Montreal, as well as with\ncardiologists and palliative care specialists.<\/o:p><\/i><\/p>

She is now interested in sharing her experience\nand insights with the caregiver network that strives to ensure a dignified end\nof life for their loved ones.
<\/i> <\/span><\/p>

As you can imagine, we are very happy to have\nsuch expertise on our board of directors. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>

Thank you, Paola and Patrick! Welcome,\nMadeleine!<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Death of Dr. Balfour Mount - Press review<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In English<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

“Today, thanks largely to Dr. Mount,
\nvirtually every large hospital in North America has a palliative care ward. The
\nfield has also evolved to address suffering during any illness, regardless of
\nprognosis. We also have medical assistance in dying, a development Dr. Mount
\nvehemently opposed \u2013 he was convinced palliative care, when done right, could
\nease anyone\u2019s suffering. (…) If we want to truly honour his legacy \u2013 and we
\nshould \u2013 we must endeavour to make palliative care the norm, to ensure that
\nevery Canadian has \u201ca good death,\u201d when they want and where they want, whether
\nin hospital, in a hospice, or at home. “<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

– An excerpt from Andr\u00e9 Picard’s article <\/span>in The Globe and Mail<\/a> <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Also :
<\/span>Canadian Press<\/i><\/a> article,  reprinted by CTV News (with a video
\ninterview), the Toronto Star, CityNews, etc.
<\/span>CBC<\/a> article, by Matthew Lapierre \u00b7
<\/span>CBC Radio Noon Quebec<\/a> program, with Shawn Appel

<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

And two
\nobituaries :
<\/span>Montreal Gazette<\/a>, by Susan Schwartz
<\/span>Globe and Mail<\/a>, by Lisa Fitterman<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n


In French<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

“I had the honor of knowing Dr. Mount.
\nThis deeply humane, loving, gentle man, and world-renowned scientist, is
\nsomeone I admire with all my heart.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

In the 1990s, surrounded by his wonderful
\nteam\u2014psychologist, nurses, musicologist, volunteers, etc.\u2014he cared for my
\nmother in her final weeks at the Royal Victoria palliative care unit.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Like the other patients, my mother was cared
\nfor with kindness, smiles, compassion, and diligence. For my sister and me,
\ntime stood still in her room until her last breath. Faced with approaching
\ndeath, Dr. Mount said, the present takes on the air of eternity.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Excerpt from <\/span>Jos\u00e9e Legault’s column<\/a> in the Journal de Montr\u00e9al and the
\nJournal de Qu\u00e9bec.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/p>

Also:
Text by Katrine Desautels <\/span>of La Presse canadienne<\/a> reprinted by La Presse,
\nL’Actualit\u00e9, Noovo, etc.
<\/span>Text
\nby Mathieu-Robert Sauv\u00e9<\/a> of Journal de Montr\u00e9al<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Dear allies,
\nLike many of you, we were shocked last Thursday to see that the first announcements about a Quebec constitution mentioned \u201cprotecting Quebecers’ right to medical assistance in dying.\u201d …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[290,607],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-qui-vive-living-with-dignity-newsletter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17495"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17557,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17495\/revisions\/17557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}