Quebec's Medical Aid in Dying: An Inspiration for Other Canadian Jurisdictions?

Abstract

Soon, physicians across Canada will be permitted to assist patients in dying, provided certain conditions are met. Physicians in the province of Quebec can already provide this service since December 10, 2015. While Quebec has been studying the question of legislating medical aid in dying since 2009, the rest of the country must come up with legislation on this issue within the next few months. This article suggests that other Canadian jurisdictions, federally and provincially/territorially, may find inspiration in the extensive work done in Quebec leading to its end-of-life legislation, including on the issues of identifying proper safeguards to protect vulnerable people and eligibility criteria that could be put in place in these jurisdictions. The Quebec model could be particularly useful in regard to the approach to balancing physicians' rights of conscience with patients' constitutional right to access medical aid in dying.