{"id":18286,"date":"2026-05-27T11:02:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/?p=18286"},"modified":"2026-05-27T11:49:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:49:18","slug":"newsletter-may-27-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/newsletter-may-27-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring 2026 – Living with Dignity in Action, Updates and Press Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Dear allies,

<\/b>Our last newsletter was sent on March 20th, and since then you have received two press releases (<\/span>our response to the documentary play Club Sandwich Mayonnaise<\/i><\/span><\/a> and <\/span>our participation in National Palliative Care Week 2026<\/a>).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

As announced, this has been a very busy period, and we are pleased to report our progress on a wide range of issues and to provide a summary of our many actions on the ground.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Over the past few years, we have never experienced such a dynamic period as Quebec increasingly comes to terms with the reality that we must re-examine our collective relationship with medical assistance in dying. The headline <\/span>of the cover story in the June issue of L\u2019Actualit\u00e9<\/i> magazine<\/a> perfectly captures the sentiment we\u2019re seeing on the ground: (our translation) \u201cThe Final Choice \u2014 Quebecers Are Champions of Medical Assistance in Dying. For Lack of a Better Option?\u201d <\/o:p><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Whether we call it euthanasia, assisted suicide, or medical assistance in dying (MAID), the movement questioning the ethics of assisted dying extends far beyond our borders and is also making its presence felt internationally, particularly in France and the United Kingdom.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

This newsletter will include more links than usual<\/b>; choose the content that interests you most and feel free to share it.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Our first fundraising campaign since January 2025 is approaching, and we\u2019ll be counting on your support more than ever.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Together,

Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre
Coordinator
Living with Dignity citizen network<\/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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ADDITION - Joint Letter to the Carney Government <\/h5>\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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We are\nproud to co-sign this letter released yesterday alongside 90 organizations in\nthe disability and mental health sectors that oppose the expansion of MAiD for\nmental illness. Thank you to Inclusion Canada for its leadership on this issue.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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Press release and letter to the\nCarney Government<\/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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Spring 2026 - Actions by 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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Attendance\nat Thomas De Koninck\u2019s funeral
\n<\/b>Full audio of the\nApril 11th ceremony (with 70 minutes of testimonials!), via <\/span>Radio-Galil\u00e9e<\/a>
\nOpen letter by Andr\u00e9 Baril published the same day in Le Soleil: <\/span>Thomas De Koninck, thinker of\ndignity<\/a> (in French).\nTo read the great philosopher\u2019s most influential book: On Human Dignity <\/i>(<\/span>Word or PDF version in French accessible\nvia the UQAM\/UQAV Social Science Classics<\/a>)<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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Interprofessional\ntraining day at the Montreal Institute of Palliative Care
\n<\/b>A day of discussion\non the theme \u201cPalliative care in the evolving context of cancer treatments: an\ninterprofessional approach.\u201d <\/span>Full\nprogram<\/a>.<\/o:p><\/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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Post-performance\ndiscussion following the play Club Sandwich Mayonnaise<\/i>
\n<\/b>A nearly 40-minute\ndiscussion between our coordinator, Dr. David Lussier, Ms. Annabel Soutar\n(co-founder of the theater company), and the audience present on April 17th.\nAfter a sold-out run in Montreal, the play will go on tour in the spring of\n2027 (<\/span>some dates have already been announced<\/a>). Refer to <\/span>our special page<\/a> on the play.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

3rd\nInnov’A\u00een\u00e9s Forum of the Coalition for Dignity<\/b>
\nDiscussion between our coordinator and Ms. Sylvie Bernier at the end of the\npanel \u201cPromoting Social Participation Among Seniors: The APIC Project in\nEstrie\u201d (<\/span>3-minute video<\/a> in French).
\n<\/span>Forum Recommendations<\/a><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

National\nPalliative Care Week<\/b>
\nWork within the Quebec Coalition for Access to Palliative Care to prepare <\/span>for the 2026 campaign<\/a> (with press review).
\nActive participation in the Quebec Palliative Care Association Conference (<\/span>video of the conclusion of singer Vincent\nValli\u00e8res\u2019s talk<\/a>).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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Participation\nin three book launches
\n<\/b>1) <\/span>\u201cL\u00e0 o\u00f9 tu vas\u201d (Where You\u2019re Going):\nA Journey to the Land of Fading Memory<\/a> \u2013 Futuropolis (in French)
\nA graphic novel by Etienne Davodeau and Fran\u00e7oise Roy. Carpe Diem\u2014Alzheimer\u2019s\nResource Center\u2014is featured in the pages of this graphic novel!
\n2) <\/span>La mort des autres<\/a> – Editions Somme toute (in French)
\nJournalist M\u00e9lanie No\u00ebl\u2019s volunteer experience at the Aube-Lumi\u00e8re hospice\n(Sherbrooke)\u2014an experience representative of those lived in other hospices\nthroughout Quebec.
\n3) <\/span>Minerva\u2019s Stork: Philosophy,\nPalliative Care Culture, and Society (2nd edition)<\/a> – Presses de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 Laval (in French)
\nAlongside Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and De Tocqueville, Louis-Andr\u00e9 Richard\nexplores our modern relationship with death.<\/o:p><\/b><\/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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Updates on major issues<\/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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Joint\nCommittee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD) studying the expansion of\nmedical assistance in dying for mental disorders<\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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The Carney government<\/a> is <\/span>expecting<\/a> the AMAD committee\u2019s\nrecommendations <\/span>by the end of June<\/a>. You can view <\/span>the 32 briefs and 44 testimonies\nsubmitted<\/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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A very\ninteresting exchange took place between Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois MP Claude DeBellefeuille\nand Brian Mishara, director of the Centre for Research and Intervention on\nSuicide, Ethical Issues, and End-of-Life Practices<\/i>, speaking in a personal\ncapacity, during the 6th meeting of the committee comprising 15 MPs and\nsenators examining the \u201celigibility of any person whose sole underlying health\ncondition is a mental illness .”
\nAre they being discriminated against by not having access to MAiD ?
\n<\/span>A 6-minute excerpt worth your\nattention<\/a>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

 <\/span><\/p>

Bills in\nAlberta, the United Kingdom, and France
\n
\nAlberta<\/b>: April 18th  – Bill 18 has been passed and will soon\nbecome law.
\n\u201cOther provinces should follow Alberta\u2019s lead \/ Bill 18 passed and will soon be\nlaw. More provinces need to follow Alberta\u2019s lead – : <\/span>An analysis by the Euthanasia\nPrevention Coalition<\/a>\u201d\n(in English).
\n
\nUnited Kingdom<\/b>: April 24th \u2013 <\/span>Assisted dying bill in England and\nWales fails in Parliament<\/a> \u2013 \u201cWhy has the assisted dying bill failed?\u201d <\/span>An analysis by the BBC<\/a> (in English).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

France<\/b>:
\nMay 21st \u2013 \u201cThe Senate rejects assisted suicide and euthanasia in the second\nreading. What now?\u201d \u2013 <\/span>An analysis by Alliance Vita<\/a>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>


\nIntroduction of Bill 595, \u201cAct respecting self-directed personal assistance\nfor persons with disabilities\u201d <\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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Hats off to\nJonathan Marchand and the entire Coop Assist <\/i>team for this long-term\neffort, and to MNA Jo\u00ebl Arseneau of the Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois for bringing <\/span>this bill to the Quebec National\nAssembly<\/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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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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Direct\nmentions of our citizen network<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>

March 24th\n– <\/span>Why is Alberta proposing to ban\n\u201cadvance requests\u201d for medical aid in dying<\/a> – National Post (update: the number of cases of\nmedical aid in dying administered in the context of advance requests has\nreportedly risen to 15).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

April 9th –\n<\/span>Medical Assistance in Dying Brought\nto the Theater<\/a> (in French) \u2013 \u00c7a me regarde<\/i>, Radio-Canada Ohdio.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

April 9th –\n<\/span>A Date with Death<\/a> \u2013 Le Devoir (in French)
\nExcerpt (our translation): \u201cBetween a meeting with V\u00e9ronique Hivon, former MP\nfor Joliette and advocate for medical assistance in dying, and another with\nJasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre of the group Vivre dans la dignit\u00e9, the reporter\nreturns to her father\u2019s bedside (one of the characters brilliantly portrayed by\nthe excellent Martin-David Peters).\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

April 24th\n\u2013 Segment in French on the play Club Sandwich Mayonnaise <\/i>during the\nprogram Les Verbomoteurs <\/i>(<\/span>at 11:41<\/a>); and mention of VDD during <\/span>La br\u00e8ve de la semaine<\/a>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

May 12th – <\/span>Ten Years of Euthanasia in Canada\nand Quebec<\/a> (in\nFrench) \u2013 Bioethics segment on RCF Radio (France).<\/o:p><\/b><\/span><\/p>

Other\narticles and videos<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>

April 5th –\n<\/span>Why is Quebec a leader?<\/a> \u2013 La Presse (in French)
\nA three-part series in which we participated.<\/o:p><\/b><\/span><\/p>

April 5th –\n<\/span>Interview with Manuelle L\u00e9gar\u00e9 on Tout\nle monde en parle<\/i><\/span><\/a>\n(in French)
\nComplete press review of the play Club Sandwich Mayonnaise <\/i><\/span>via Qulysis<\/a><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

April 6th –\n<\/span>In France, the Quebec example serves\nas a push-back\u201d<\/a> \u2013\nLa Presse (in French)<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

April 27th\n– <\/span>You Can Be Loved Until the End of\nYour Life<\/a> \u2013 Le\nDevoir (in French)
\nExcerpt: \u201cEven at the end of his life, even in his diminished state, Dad is\nstill teaching me powerful lessons.\u201d A letter from Nathalie Girard.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

April 30th\n– <\/span>Psychiatry chairs at medical schools\noppose expanding MAID for mental illness<\/a> \u2013 The Globe and Mail<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

April 30th-\n<\/span>A man dies in slow agony without\npalliative care<\/a> \u2013\nL\u2019Express de Drummondville (in French)<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

May 4th \u2013\nCardus Institute and Palliative Institute survey: <\/span>Canadians value palliative care but\ndoubt its accessibility<\/a>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

May 10th – <\/span>Medical Assistance in Dying: A\nSocial Response to Suffering?<\/a> (in French) \u2013  Column by Maria\nMourani in Le Journal de Montr\u00e9al.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

May 17th \u2013 <\/span>Medical assistance in dying for\nmental illness: a choice that isn\u2019t really a choice<\/a> (in French) \u2013 Letter in Le\nSoleil by Georgia Vrakas, psychologist, university professor, and woman living\nwith bipolar disorder.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

May 19th – <\/span>Medical Assistance in Dying for\nMental Health Conditions: \u201cThese are people who are often unrecognizable\nbecause they suffer so much\u201d<\/a> (in French) \u2013 Comments by Luc Ferrandez regarding homeless individuals\nat 6:15 in the radio segment on 98.5 FM, denounced by several voices, including\nthose <\/span>of<\/a> our citizen network<\/a> and <\/span>Jonathan Marchand<\/a>.
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\nMay 25th – Ontario\ndoctor cautioned over MAID complaints can continue practice under supervision,\nregulator rules<\/a> \u2013 The Globe and Mail.
\nExcerpt: \u201cOne patient of Dr. James MacLean\u2019s resumed breathing after being\ndeclared dead, and another was assessed for assisted dying outside a Tim\nHortons, probe finds\u201d.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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\n
\nIn conclusion<\/b>
\n
\nOn AMI-t\u00e9l\u00e9, the first episode of Season 3 of the excellent Quebec adaptation\nof the comedy \u201cVestiaires,\u201d which brilliantly addresses the issue of medical\nassistance in dying for people with disabilities. <\/span>The segment from 2:12 to 4:15 is now\navailable on AMI+<\/a>\n(in French).
\n
\n\u201cSerious lapses in the practice of medical assistance in dying: where are the\nsanctions?\u201d
\nA lecture by Trudo Lemmens, professor and holder of the Scholl Chair in Health\nLaw and Policy, University of Toronto.
\nPresented in French on March 21st, 2026, in Montreal (UQAM). Video and slides:
\n<\/span>https:\/\/collectifmedecins.org\/derapages-serieux-dans-la-pratique-de-laide-medicale-a-mourir-ou-sont-les-sanctions<\/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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We invite you to an ethical and clinical conversation on MAiD on June 6th in Montr\u00e9al. This half-day conference with Dr. Cory-Andrew Labrecque and Dr. Catherine Ferrier is for seniors, their families, caregivers, and health professionals.
<\/span>
<\/span>Register here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

Thank you to Seniors Action Quebec for this initiative!<\/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<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear allies,
\nOur last newsletter was sent on March 20th, and since then you have received two press releases (our response to the documentary play Club Sandwich Mayonnaise and our participation …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[607],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-qui-vive-living-with-dignity-newsletter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18286","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=18286"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18303,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18286\/revisions\/18303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}