Update to MAID Legislation: Québec

The legislation, rules, and expectations around medical assistance in dying (MAID) continue to evolve. As changes occur, we will continue to keep you informed and up-to-date so you can safely and effective support your patients with end-of-life decisions.

Waiving final consent under specific conditions: update to legislation in Québec

Recently, you received the print version of CMPA’s Perspective magazine in the mail, which included an article focusing on MAID. Since the time of printing, MAID legislation in Québec has been updated.

There was initial uncertainty in Québec about the ability to waive the final consent to MAID, and the print article reflected this uncertainty. The province has since amended its legislation to permit the waiver of a second and final consent, provided that other conditions under Québec legislation are met. You can find an updated version of the article reflecting this change on our website: CMPA - The continuing evolution of medical assistance in dying. As is mentioned in the updated article, Québec physicians should bear in mind the other differences between the federal and provincial legislation, which remain.

Commission sur les soins de fin de vie consent template: Waiving final consent

In response to the recent change in legislation, the Commission sur les soins de fin de vie has developed a consent template to be used with patients with respect to the waiver of the second and final consent. To access the template, please contact the CMPA or the Commission at [email protected] or 1-844-200-2059. We encourage our Québec members to use this template, or to contact the CMPA when contemplating using the template, until an official document is put in place by the Ministry of Health and Social Services for that purpose.

For more information:

Failure to comply with both the Québec and federal statutes could result in unanticipated but real, and potentially serious, medico-legal risk. If you are involved in the provision of MAID, and are uncertain about how the legislation affects you, contact one of our knowledgeable physician advisors to discuss the recent legislative changes.

If you have questions or need support, please do not hesitate to:

• Contact us anytime via CMPA’s secure member portal.
• Call us at 1-800-267-6522 Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. Conversations are confidential, empathetic and non-judgmental.