Pressure is mounting on Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube to introduce a bill extending medical assistance in dying (MAID) to people with Alzheimer's disease.
On Thursday, the opposition held a joint press conference with Sandra Demontigny, who has early-onset Alzheimer's, and Georges L'Esperance, president of a Quebec association promoting accessibility to MAID that's called AQDMD.
In Quebec, a patient must be capable of consent when obtaining MAID, with some exceptions.
But a special commission on the expansion of MAID submitted a report recommending people with conditions like Alzheimer's be permitted to sign early applications.
Demontigny and L'Esperance urged Dube to act on the unanimous Dec. 8 report before the end of the session on June 10.
There are only 14 days of parliamentary business left, which is not a lot of time considering any potential MAID bill will have to be studied in detail.
Dube is currently piloting three health bills.
On March 21, members of the special commission expressed concern over Dube's silence on the MAID file.
This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on May 5, 2022.
