Actually, we have no experience in Quebec in terms of approving MAID in cases where a mental disorder is the sole underlying condition, because we are subject to the Criminal Code, like the rest of Canada.
The Quebec committee that studied the expansion of medical assistance in dying set aside the issue of patients whose sole condition is a mental disorder because there was not enough evidence of a society-wide consensus on the issue. However, the committee's report was prepared before the report of the expert panel commissioned by the federal government, which was tabled in May 2022. So that's a factor.
What would Quebec's position be now that the expert panel report has been tabled? I couldn't tell you. I'm not a psychiatrist, which is fortunate for patients. However, I am relying on what is presented by the experts, particularly in the report by pan-Canadian experts mandated by the federal government.
We cannot completely exclude the problem of mental health, because we would be denying certain rights, but we need very strict guidelines with a long-term view. In our discussions, we always talk about an illness that had afflicted patients for 20, 30 or 40 years and whose quality of life has deteriorated grievously as a result of a mental health disorder.