Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I'd say the same thing. Are you asking the same question? Yes? Okay. Suicidality is already part of our everyday practice in psychiatry. Even people who request MAID because of physical problems or cancer may feel suicidal at times during the process. That means their case has to be reassessed.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  It was presented at the annual assembly. There was no vote on it, but it was presented to all of our members. We will continue to work with all of those people.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  We're already trained for track two. It's exactly the same track for patients with mental illness.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I'd say the same.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  We may observe tremendous distress in the people close to us, but it's true that, in the psychiatrist's office, distress looks different. There's a lot of analysis and assessment. People don't ask friends, colleagues or MPs for MAID; they ask the physician who's been treating them for a long time and who has looked at the treatment options with them.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I don't think so, not if they can't access treatment. As Dr. Gupta said, people are discriminated against in two ways: first, they may not have access to treatment; and, second, they won't get access to MAID. There has to be a significant record of treatment attempts, and they'll have to have had the time to have an exhaustive conversation with the patients.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I believe so. Patients are already arriving at the emergency room and requesting medical assistance in dying because of physical problems or significant psychological distress, which triggers a whole process that means they are taken care of more quickly since there are delays in obtaining a response to a medical assistance in dying request.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I think it's a matter of social acceptance. Stigma is everywhere and, unfortunately, it's also in the legislation, in my opinion. We will have to think about how we treat this clientele, which is part of the entire health care process. We have to ask ourselves why it takes so long in the case of mental disorders.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Practitioners will indeed feel caught between two acts. That said, we have been experiencing discord for a few years in a number of respects. Doctors will certainly respect the requests of the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services and the recommendations of the CEOs. We'll comply, but we'll have to tell our patients, some of whom are already asking us for medical assistance in dying, that they'll have to wait until it's permitted and that the choice has been different in Canada.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Well, in Quebec, it probably won't be allowed in the health care organization. In Quebec, medical assistance in dying is health care. If the ministry of health and the Government of Quebec tell us that this type of care cannot be provided, hospitals and organizations won't be able to provide it.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Good morning, everyone. My name is Dr. Claire Gamache. I'm the president of the Association des médecins psychiatres du Québec. We thank the House of Commons for the invitation and the opportunity to discuss these sensitive issues. The Association des médecins psychiatres du Québec, or AMPQ, is one of the 35 associations affiliated with the FMSQ, the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec, which represents 1,200 psychiatrists.