Medical assistance in dying: greater recognition for SNPs
December 7, 2023, will mark the day that legislative sections come into force giving specialized nurse practitioners the power to decide if a patient can receive medical assistance in dying, as well as the power to administer the care.
For many years, the FIQ has been pushing for SNPs to be able to play a greater role in end-of-life care in Quebec. In 2019, we saw that SNPs already had the right to administer medical assistance in dying in a number of Canadian provinces, but not in Quebec even though training is longer.
In 2021 and 2022, the FIQ called for the commissions studying medical assistance in dying to give SNPs more autonomy in this area. Finally, in June 2023 the National Assembly passed Bill 11, an Act to amend the Act respecting end-of-life care and other legislative provisions, which stipulates this new recognition for SNPs.