Trudeau gov’t says Quebec should pause radical MAID agenda

Most Quebecers believe those suffering from an illness ‘that can affect their cognitive ability’ should be able to make an early request for assisted-suicide.

In a surprise turn of events, Trudeau’s health minister has urged Québec to pause early requests for medical assistance in dying (MAID). The province will allow those with “serious and incurable diseases” like Alzheimer’s to request the procedure as soon as next Wednesday.

Québec’s commission on end-of-life care reported that 15 of 3,663 deaths since 2021 were non-compliant with provincial or federal laws. At the time, Ottawa permitted anyone 18 and older in “an advanced state of irreversible decline” to access MAID — not including the mentally ill. 

To be eligible for the procedure, a person must be mentally sound and be assessed by two doctors or nurse practitioners.

On February 2, 2022, Minister Mark Holland introduced Bill C-39, delaying the expansion of MAID to Canadians whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder.

Those persons could have accessed MAID as of March 17, 2023 but the federal government extended the temporary exclusion period until March 17, 2024. That too has been delayed, and remains before the House of Commons as of writing.

For those seeking to make an early request for the procedure, the federal government has refused to amend the Criminal Code to protect doctors from possible prosecution, forcing Québec to take action through a directive to prosecutors.

A Leger poll found that two-thirds of Canadians (65%) believe that people suffering from an illness “that can affect their cognitive ability” should be able to make an early request for MAID. This proportion is higher among Quebecers (77%). 

Meanwhile, the federal health minister believes the province is acting hastily. “Yes, I think Quebec can wait a little,” Holland said in an interview with La Presse.

For me, it is essential to have a national conversation, because there is national involvement,” Holland said. “And … there is [also] a question of [knowing] if the system is ready for a change like this.”

Québec doctors recently told La Presse they are ill-equipped to meet the pending flood of applications. More than 162,000 Quebecers are currently waiting for surgery, compared to 115,000 just before the pandemic. 

“Would Ottawa be tempted to challenge Quebec's choice to move forward? I'm not ready to say that,” Holland said. 

“It's tricky because it's really a provincial competence,” the minister admits. “But after the pandemic, it was obvious that it was a huge problem and we need all provinces and the federal government to work together.”

Ideally, he would have liked more time to discuss MAID expansions with other provinces and territories.

Meanwhile, Québec conditionally received $3.7 billion in health transfers from the Trudeau government in March, in exchange for a modernized record-sharing system that has been noticeably absent to date.

“That's not acceptable,” Holland said. “There is more work to be done with the provinces and territories to ensure that everyone across the country can have access to a doctor, nurse or medical clinic.”

On January 29, Conservative and NDP MPs on a special parliamentary committee called for a pause to the planned expansion of eligibility for mentally ill patients.

They released a report urging the feds to not expand assisted-suicide legislation without sufficient provincial and expert consultations.

"Committee concludes that the medical system in Canada is not prepared for medical assistance in dying where mental disorder is the sole underlying medical condition,” the report reads. 

Nearly half (47%) of Leger respondents endorsed pausing the policy in place of more comprehensive consultations. However, 37% disagreed with the delay.

“Minister, there are no legislative safeguards,” said Conservative MP Michael Cooper at the Commons health committee. “Well, you can say that,” replied Holland.

“You haven’t cited one. You haven’t cited any,” continued Cooper. “And you haven’t responded to 78% of Ontario psychiatrists who believe that whatever safeguards will be put in place will be insufficient,” he added.

“We’re talking about wrongful deaths when there has been an inappropriate application of MAID.”

Holland eventually adopted the committee recommendations.

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Alex Dhaliwal

Calgary Based Journalist

Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.

COMMENTS

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  • Robert Pariseau
    commented 2024-10-26 22:03:08 -0400
    Jeez, sockboy is telling Quebec to cool it with MAiD? Que pasa?
  • Ruth Bard
    commented 2024-10-25 21:42:20 -0400
    It’s baffling to me that Quebec, which has always been anxious to preserve its language and culture, is so eager to kill off its own citizens. Where will the language and culture be when all the Quebecois are dead?