Thank you, Madam Chair.
My questions are for the representatives of the Quebec Intellectual Disability Society.
In one of its recommendations to us, the Association québécoise pour le droit de mourir dans la dignité stated the following:
To temporarily maintain a complete prohibition on eligibility for medical assistance in dying for persons with a serious intellectual disability unless there is absolute certainty about the person's decision making capacity.
I was reading the brief that you submitted to the Select Committee on the Evolution of the Act respecting end‑of‑life care, in July 2021, and noted that it could also apply to your second recommendation, which was, in all instances to prohibit proxy decisions on behalf of people with an intellectual disability who are deemed unable to consent. So far, I would imagine, you might find that reassuring.
You also made other interesting recommendations which I believe are consistent with best practices and reflect what appears to currently apply in medical practice. You also said that it was essential to “require that persons with an intellectual disability be unable to apply for medical assistance in dying unless they are at the end of life”. I think that borders on the grey area between capacity and incapacity, in which case I would like to know how one determines decision making capacity
Ms. Duranleau or Mr. Ragot, can you provide an example of a case that would fall into this grey area?