(Quebec) After affirming that two years could be necessary for its new law on medical assistance in dying (MAID) to come into force, the Quebec government now says it is ready to move forward in the fall and urges Ottawa to modify the Criminal Code only for the province.
The minister responsible for the file, Sonia Bélanger, now says that there is an urgent need to act, because people are waiting and they are worried. She adds that the two-year deadline was never a goal.
On Wednesday, at a press briefing, the minister asked that Ottawa make an exception for Quebec in the Criminal Code to allow advance requests for MAID. She was accompanied by the Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, and the Minister of Canadian Relations, Jean-François Roberge.
We say that there is openness on the part of the federal government, but that things are not moving quickly enough for Quebec’s liking.
According to Simon Jolin-Barrette, an amendment to the Criminal Code is necessary to prevent health professionals who administer medical assistance in dying as part of an advance request from committing a criminal offense.
A federal bill on medical assistance in dying was tabled last week and Quebec says that the Canadian government could add an amendment to allow advance requests for MAID on the territory of the province.
The new version of the Quebec law on MAID was adopted last June and it will allow advance requests for people suffering from a serious and incurable illness, such as Alzheimer’s, for example.