{"id":18561,"date":"2026-09-09T06:58:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T10:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/?p=18561"},"modified":"2026-09-09T07:00:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T11:00:26","slug":"pr-september-9-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/pr-september-9-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical assistance in dying for mental disorders  debated in Ottawa"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"18561\" class=\"elementor elementor-18561 elementor-18552\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f9070c3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f9070c3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3defbd1\" data-id=\"3defbd1\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61be4ad elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"61be4ad\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What do the parties in Quebec's election \ncampaign think?\n\n<\/h2>\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<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-61eb92b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"61eb92b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c6bc2fb\" data-id=\"c6bc2fb\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1389348 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1389348\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\"><b><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">Montreal, September\n9th, 2026<\/span><\/b><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-ansi-language:EN-CA\"> \u2013 Canada&#8217;s Minister of Justice, Sean Fraser, will\nsoon be responding to a recommendation from a federal committee calling for the\nindefinite exclusion of medical assistance in dying for mental disorders. With\nQuebec having legislated in 2023 to exclude mental disorder from its own law,\nthe question arises: where do the parties running in Quebec&#8217;s election campaign\nstand on this possible expansion of the Canadian law?<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">At <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/mouvement-sante-mentale-quebec_cest-aujourdhui-d%C3%A8s-10h-en-direct-activity-7503060045970989056-wyNV?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAACqcRj8Bj_N_hYkpU6RI9sUuW0UpuHS7HrA\">an\nelectoral debate on mental health<\/a> organized by the <i>Coalition\ncommunautaire en sant\u00e9 mentale<\/i> on September 8th, representatives from the\nthree parties present (David Poulin-Latulippe of Qu\u00e9bec solidaire, Camille\nPellerin-Forget of the Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois, and Elisabeth Prass of the Quebec\nLiberal Party) did not take a firm position on the issue. As for the Coalition\nAvenir Qu\u00e9bec, Health Minister Sonia B\u00e9langer sent a letter in April to members\nof the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD) reminding of\nQuebec&#8217;s choice to exclude mental disorder from its law, while adding that\n&#8220;reflection on this question must continue, both within our institutions\nand among the general public.&#8221; The Conservative Party of Quebec has not\nyet spoken out on the issue.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">The Living with\nDignity citizen network invites the parties in the race to reaffirm Quebec&#8217;s\nchoice, based on the work of the Select Committee on the Evolution of the Act\nRespecting End-of-Life Care (2021).<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">As stated in\nMinister B\u00e9langer&#8217;s letter to the AMAD committee, the reasons given for\nexcluding mental disorder from Quebec&#8217;s law were numerous:<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><ul style=\"margin-top:0cm\" type=\"disc\">\n <li class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;\n     tab-stops:list 36.0pt\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\n     mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">psychiatrists and other experts have not reached\n     a consensus that mental disorders are incurable or that the associated\n     declines in capacities are irreversible;<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/li>\n <li class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;\n     tab-stops:list 36.0pt\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\n     mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">there did not seem to be a social consensus\n     behind expanding access to medical assistance in dying to individuals\n     whose only medical condition is a mental disorder;<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/li>\n <li class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;\n     tab-stops:list 36.0pt\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\n     mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">the difficulty of properly diagnosing mental\n     disorders, and the concerns of many health and social services\n     professionals that the therapeutic relationship with their patients would\n     be made more complex if medical assistance in dying were expanded to\n     mental disorders alone.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\">\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">Living with\nDignity recalled <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/pr-march-16-2026\/\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">in a\nstatement<\/span><\/a><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-ansi-language:EN-CA\"> last March that &#8220;<\/span><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-size: 14.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background: white;\"> <\/span><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">If nothing is\ndone before March 17th, 2027, that date will mark the moment when persons\nwhose mental illness is their sole underlying medical condition will be able to\naccess Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada. These individuals would\nstill have to meet the other legal criteria, but no additional safeguards are\ncurrently planned. The Living with Dignity citizen network hopes that federal\nparliamentarians will join the clear consensus established in Quebec, which\nmaintains the exclusion of mental disorders in its law (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca\/fr\/document\/lc\/s-32.0001?langCont=en#se:26\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">Section\n26<\/span><\/a><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:\nEN-CA\">)&#8221;.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\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<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-de869e3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"de869e3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b8a3080\" data-id=\"b8a3080\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0dd9233 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0dd9233\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">The clarity of\nQuebec&#8217;s law should be reflected in the positions parties take during the\ncampaign. Quebec voters have a right to know where the parties stand on this\nexpansion, which has no consensus in either Quebec or Canada.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\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<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5da5479 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5da5479\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8c766ac\" data-id=\"8c766ac\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-53ab27e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"53ab27e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p align=\"center\" style=\"text-align:center\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">\u2014 30 \u2014<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p><b><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">For interviews or further information:<\/span><\/b><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><p><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre<br>\nCoordinator<br>\nLiving with Dignity citizen network<br>\n<\/span><a href=\"mailto:info@vivredignite.org\"><span lang=\"EN-CA\" style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA\">info@vivredignite.org<\/span><\/a><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\t\t\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":"<p>What do the parties in Quebec&#8217;s election<br \/>\ncampaign think?<\/p>\n<p>Montreal, September<br \/>\n9th, 2026 \u2013 Canada&#8217;s Minister of Justice, Sean Fraser, will<br \/>\nsoon be responding to a recommendation from a &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[290],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18561","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=18561"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18561\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18565,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18561\/revisions\/18565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vivredignite.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}