Quebec begins approving previous MAID applications without any changes requested at the federal level

Quebec announced that the province will begin approving early requests for physician-assisted dying without having to wait for Ottawa to amend Canada’s Criminal Code.

The changes, announced this morning and coming into effect on October 30, will allow certain patients to apply for MAID in advance, before they are no longer able to give consent due to their condition.

In a press release, the government said it had asked the Director of Criminal Justice to comply with the conditions set out in the province’s law on assisted dying when filing a criminal complaint.

The Director’s Office issued its own press release immediately after the government, saying it was not in the public interest to authorize criminal prosecutions for deaths related to MAID as long as care was provided in accordance with the law.

Quebec had previously said it would wait to approve previous applications until the federal government amended the criminal code to better protect health-care workers from charges related to the killing of patients. But last month the city announced it would no longer wait.

Quebec passed a law in June 2023 that allows people with serious and incurable illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease to request MAID treatment while they are still capable of giving consent, with the procedure only being performed once their condition has worsened.