Removing barriers to medical assistance in dying: Dying With Dignity Canada and the Quebec Association for the Right to Die with Dignity call on the federal government to advance MAID legislation

TORONTO and MONTREAL, April 11, 2023 /CNW/ - Dying With Dignity Canada (DWDC) and the Quebec Association for the Right to Die with Dignity (AQDMD) call for a rapid response to the report of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD). 

The Special Joint Committee on MAID tabled their final report on February 15, 2023, with 23 recommendations. The report was extensive, and it addressed several topics, including MAID for mental disorders as a sole underlying condition, advance requests for MAID, mature minors, as well as the state of palliative care in Canada, the protection of Canadians with disabilities. 

Both DWDC and AQDMD - who work across Canada to protect end-of-life rights - call on the Federal Government to present without delay a bill relating to advance requests according to the recommendations of the Special Joint Committee.

In recommendations 21, 22 and 23 the report suggests amending the Criminal Code to allow advance requests for MAID following a diagnosis of a serious and incurable health problem, disease or disorder leading to incapacity. 

Simultaneously in Quebec, Bill 11 was tabled by Minister Sonia Bélanger and the National Assembly is studying the issue of advance requests in the event of cognitive neurodegenerative disease.  

"It is imperative that the two levels of government move forward at the same time on the subject of advance requests for MAID, an issue supported by 87% of Canadians," urges Helen Long, CEO of Dying With Dignity Canada.  

Previous public opinion research shows that 77% of Canadians would support advance requests from individuals who are competent at the time of the request but do not have a diagnosis of a grievous and irremediable condition (Ipsos 2022). Therefore, we also support a more expansive definition of advance requests that would allow for a written request for MAID without a diagnosis, for example, in the case of a debilitating stroke or brain injury.

In Quebec, unlike in the rest of Canada, provision has already been made in Quebec Law 2 : Act respecting end-of-life care art. 50 to 62 for honouring a person's written wishes in the form of an advanced medical directive; these are binding on health care personnel and have the same weight as wishes expressed by a person capable of giving consent to care. While not strictly equivalent to an Advance Request for MAID, they provide clinicians with guidance as to how a patient, who has suddenly become grievously ill, would like their medical interventions to unfold without the need for a Power of Attorney for personal care present.  

DWDC and AQDMD also urge the Federal Government to prioritize and stay focused on the preparations for MAID for mental disorders and end the discriminatory exclusion of those whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder from being assessed for an assisted death 

We recognize the Government's comments and the need to prepare for this change in the law. We trust those tasked with the preparation and readiness for this category of people who suffer intolerably from treatment-resistant mental illnesses will work expeditiously and in good faith to establish the clinical assessment protocols to allow these Canadians access to compassionate end-of-life care. 

A task group of experts has completed their work preparing MAID practice standards, in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, regulatory bodies, and clinicians across Canada. The development of an accredited Canadian MAID curriculum to support clinician education and training is also well underway. 

"MAID for mental disorders as a sole underlying condition is a complex issue, and the preparatory work is nearly complete. This barrier to MAID has been extended to March 2024, let's not prolong it anymore," insists President of the AQDMD and neurosurgeon Georges L'Espérance. 

Founded in 2007, the AQDMD is a citizens' association whose mission is to work to ensure that the laws allow each citizen to choose and obtain end-of-life care, including medical assistance in dying, in accordance with his personal conception of dignity.  

For media inquiries contact: [email protected] or 514-341-4017 
aqdmd.org

Dying with Dignity Canada is the national human rights charity committed to improving the quality of dying, protecting end-of-life rights and helping people across the Canada to avoid unwanted suffering.  

For media inquiries contact: [email protected] or 647-477-0831  
dyingwithdignity.ca 

SOURCE Dying With Dignity Canada