(Ottawa) We will have to wait until 2027 to see the expansion of medical assistance in dying to people with mental disorders. Federal Health Minister Mark Holland tabled a bill Thursday with this new timeline. The discrepancy with Quebec law which allows advance requests remains intact.
“Conversations will continue, but there is no plan to present a bill or act in this area at this time,” the minister replied at a press briefing.
Discussions took place between Quebec and Ottawa regarding advance requests. The Legault government expanded medical aid in June, with the support of all parties, thus allowing people suffering from serious and incurable illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s, to make a request before they are no longer there. capable. A period of 24 months after the adoption of the law is planned before this measure comes into force.
However, federal legislation does not allow these requests for medical assistance in dying to be made in advance. Doctors could therefore be exposed to criminal prosecution.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, had demanded the day before that the federal government recognize the particularity of Quebec. The party is now asking him to “immediately proceed” with a reform of the Criminal Code to allow advance requests in the case of degenerative cognitive illnesses.
“Ottawa has a responsibility towards the sick and cannot simply turn a blind eye and hope that their suffering will fade,” declared the Bloc spokesperson for medical assistance in dying, Luc Thériault.
On the accessibility of medical assistance in dying for people with mental health disorders, the Bloc Québécois preferred a one-year delay instead of three.
The federal government had already postponed it for a year last year, indicating that the health system and the provinces needed more time to prepare.
Ministers Holland and Virani offered the same justifications at a press briefing for this new three-year postponement. The issue would be examined again by a joint committee of the Senate and the House of Commons under Bill C-62 tabled Thursday.
With Fanny Lévesque, The Press