She argued she should be allowed to choose MAID while she was still capable of consenting to care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In October 2024, Quebec moved forward with its plan to authorize early requests for medical assistance in dying<\/a> despite concerns raised by the federal government.<\/p>\n As the province marks 10 years since MAID was legalized through Bill 52<\/a>, experts say Quebec continues to be a leader in the space and Demontigny hopes it can help set an example \u2014 pushing the rest of Canada to follow suit.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTry to fight too,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI was afraid that I [would] miss the train.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018She was going to be imprisoned in her own body\u2019: son<\/p>\n For Demontigny’s son Sacha Fontaine,\u00a0it was no surprise his mom became a figure in the movement to expand MAID. He says she didn\u2019t have much of a choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe had to do this work or else she was going to be imprisoned in her own body,\u201d he said, sitting on the couch in his mom\u2019s apartment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMore than this, I think it was a fight for us because we’re going to be next,\u201d he added, referring to the genetic condition making some members of his family predisposed to early onset Alzheimer’s.\u00a0<\/p>\n Elderly people might die with the disease, but not always from the disease, says Demontigny. But getting diagnosed in her 30s, she says \u201cthe body is good, it’s just the brain is bad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Hanging her head low, holding back tears, Demontigny recalled how her 53-year-old father forgot how to swallow and died of aspiration. She remembers him crawling on his hands and knees near the end, walking into walls and constantly crying, all while being unable to talk.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard,” she said, taking a pause. \u201cIt\u2019s scary for the people around\u2026 for the dignity of the person.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n How Quebec became a \u2018case study\u2019 for MAID<\/p>\n In January 2025, in her apartment, Demontigny signed her form for advanced consent for MAID among her friends, witnesses and doctors.\u00a0<\/p>\n She\u2019s now one of 1,747 people who have successfully made an advanced request for the procedure in the province between Oct. 30, 2024 and Dec. 7, 2025, according to the Health Ministry. <\/p>\n In 2024, the federal government repeatedly expressed concern about Quebec moving forward with advanced consent before it modified the Criminal Code. But Ottawa said it would not challenge the Quebec law.<\/p>\n A year prior, a report from the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying made 23 recommendations, including that the Canadian government amend the Criminal Code <\/a>to allow for advanced requests following a diagnosis of a serious and incurable medical condition, disease or disorder leading to incapacity.<\/p>\n Days before Quebec started accepting requests in 2024, federal Health Minister Mark Holland said the pursuit of criminal charges for assisted dying is overseen by provincial law enforcement<\/a> and reiterated that advanced requests are still considered an offence according to Canada’s Criminal Code.<\/p>\n But Quebec had instructed its prosecutor’s office to not pursue charges against doctors who process those requests.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meaning while the practice conflicted with the Criminal Code, Quebec could move forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last fall, the federal government launched what it called a national conversation to hear perspectives on advanced requests. Its report<\/a>, published in October 2025, did not provide recommendations but found that while the principle was generally supported, there was concern about how it could be implemented safely. <\/p>\n In an emailed statement, Ian McLeod, spokesperson with the Department of Justice Canada, says the government is “carefully considering the findings.”<\/p>\n “[MAID] is a deeply personal and complex choice that touches people and families at difficult and often painful times in their lives. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring our laws reflect Canadians\u2019 evolving needs,” read the statement. <\/p>\n Jocelyn Downie, a professor emeritus in the faculties of law and medicine at Dalhousie University, says Quebec has shown leadership from the very beginning on this issue.<\/p>\n \u201cPut bold and italics and asterisks on that non-partisan approach that they took to this issue,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s absolutely a case study in legislators demonstrating leadership on an important social policy issue of the day and it stands\u00a0in stark contrast to the federal Parliament,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why are so many Quebecers seeking MAID?<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766057227_500_default.jpg\")
Sacha Fontaine, the youngest of Demontigny’s three children, says his mom fought for the right to advanced MAID requests for others. (Sylvain Roy Roussel\/CBC)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766057228_74_default.jpg\")
Demontigny shuffled through photographs of family and friends. She found a photo of her father, who suffered from early onset Alzheimer’s. (Sylvain Roy Roussel\/CBC)<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766057228_986_default.jpg\")
Demontigny lives in a care home in L\u00e9vis, Que., alongside her cat, Litchi. (Sylvain Roy Roussel\/CBC)<\/p>\n