Through this project, we aim to better understand the reasons that may help explain the popularity of medical assistance in dying in Quebec. More specifically, we seek to understand: the social acceptability of medical assistance in dying and local and regional differences.
We are holding a province-wide community forum for English-speaking participants :
November 12, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The community forum will take place online via Zoom. You will be invited to share your views in a smaller group of approximately ten people, led by a member of our research team.
Would you like to participate and share your views on medical assistance in dying?
You may if :
- You are 18 years of age or older;
- You reside in Quebec;
- You speak English;
- You have access to an Internet connection.
We ask you to, please:
- read the information and consent form;
- answer the questions on the following pages.
Once you have completed these steps, you will receive an email containing the ZOOM link to participate in the community forum.
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TO REGISTER, PLEASE READ THIS INFORMATION AND CONSENT FORM CAREFULLY.
INFORMATION AND CONSENT FORM
Research Project TITLE: Understanding the Use of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in Quebec
Research Team
Principal Investigator
Marie-Eve Bouthillier, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal
Co-Investigator
- Isabelle Marcoux, Associate Professor, Health Sciences, University of Ottawa
- Catherine Perron, Professor School of Social Work, Université de Sherbrooke
- Sabrina Lessard, Adjunct Professor, Department of Anthropology, Université de Montréal, and Institutional Researcher at the Centre of Research and Expertise in social gerontology
- Maude Lévesque, Professor, School of Social Work, Université du Québec à Montréal
Funding Agency: Fonds de recherche du Québec.
Research Ethics Approval Number: 2026-8354
1.Introduction
You are invited to participate in a research project because you have an opinion about medical assistance in dying and you are interested in sharing it. However, before agreeing to participate in this project and signing this Information and Consent Form, please take the time to carefully read and review the following information.
This form may contain words or information that you do not understand. We encourage you to ask any questions you may have to the principal investigator responsible for this project or to a member of the research team. Please do not hesitate to ask them to explain anything that is unclear to you or that you would like to understand better. Before agreeing to participate in this project, you may take the time you need to think about your decision and discuss it with your loved ones and family members, if you wish.
2. Nature and Objectives of the Research Project
Since 2015, medical assistance in dying (MAID) has been authorized in Quebec for individuals who meet all the criteria set out in the Act Respecting End-of-Life Care. Over the past eight years, there has been a steady increase in the use of medical assistance in dying, placing Quebec among the jurisdictions with the highest proportion of deaths by medical assistance in dying worldwide.
Through this project, we aim to better understand the reasons that may explain the widespread use of medical assistance in dying in Quebec. More specifically, we aim to understand: the social acceptability of medical assistance in dying, as well as local and regional differences.
To do so, we will conduct 6 virtual community forums in French in 6 different regions of Quebec and 1 province-wide community forum for English-speaking participants. The regions were selected because they had either a high number of deaths related to medical assistance in dying, or in contrast, a very low number of such death.
We expect a maximum of 50 participants per community forum, for a total of 350 participants for the entire project.
3. Participation Procedures
3.1. Number of Sessions, Duration, and Location of the Research Project
Participants will be invited to take part in the community forum held in English. Questions will be presented to the group, and each participant will have the opportunity to share their opinions. The activity will consist of a single 2-hour virtual session (using the ZOOM platform). The forum will take place on a weekday around lunchtime.
3.2. Description of Your Participation
The community forum will proceed as follows:
- Introduction (approximately 20 minutes): An introduction to the project will first be presented to all participants;
- Small group discussions (approximately 65 minutes): Participants will then be randomly assigned to virtual breakout rooms, where a member of the research team will lead the discussion. A few questions will be presented to each group. Each participant will have the opportunity to introduce themselves (first name only), if they wish, before answering the questions. A maximum of 10 people will be present in each virtual room.
- Sharing of group discussions (35 minutes): One person from each virtual room (either a participant or the member of the research team) will be invited to share, during the plenary session, the main points discussed in their respective groups.
The research team will also take notes on observations regarding the discussion process (e.g., the overall atmosphere and topics that generate more or less discussion) and record them in a field journal.
3.3. Audio Recording
To facilitate data analysis, the discussions will be audio-recorded using a digital recorder. Participants must agree to be recorded in order to take part in the research project. We use aTrain software to transcribe the recordings. It uses artificial intelligence to convert audio files into text without ever sending or sharing any data over the Internet.
4. Possible Disadvantages Associated with Participation in the Research Project
One potential disadvantage of participating in this research project is the time commitment required to participate. In addition, because the time available for the discussion will be limited, you may feel disappointed or frustrated if you are unable to share everything you would have liked to discuss.
5. Potential Risks Associated with the Research Project
Sharing opinions or experiences related to medical assistance in dying may bring back difficult memories or emotions, which may lead to feelings of fatigue, distress, or other negative emotions. Participants will be free to decline to answer certain questions and to decide whether to continue their participation or to withdraw from the research project.
To help minimize these risks, the member of the research will present guidelines at the beginning of the forum to ensure it runs smoothly and will highlight the importance of respecting each participant’s opinions and speaking time. To ensure a respectful environment for everyone, participants who do not follow these guidelines will be asked to leave the forum.
Participants will also be invited to consult the “Support Resources” document to learn about resources available in their region. This document will be sent in the same confirmation email as the ZOOM link for the community forum. It will also be sent to you by email at the end of your participation in the forum.
In case of extreme distress, if a participant presents a danger to themselves or to someone else, the members of the research team reserve the right to call 911.
Information about you will be collected using the University of Montreal’s LimeSurvey platform, using electronic devices, applications, and Internet-based data transfer and storage tools through the Microsoft OneDrive Entreprise provided by Université de Montréal. The researchers responsible for this component of the project are committed to protecting personal information (see the Confidentiality section). Although the research team will implement measures to protect your information, a breach of confidentiality is always possible due to group participation.
In group discussions, maintaining confidentiality also depends on all participants. Therefore, we ask that you respect the privacy of others by not sharing what was discussed during the forum and by not sharing the identity of other participants with people that are outside the group.
6. Benefits Associated with the Research Project
You may benefit from having the opportunity to discuss medical assistance in dying with other people; however, this benefit cannot be guaranteed. The results obtained from this research will contribute to advancing scientific knowledge regarding the use of medical assistance in dying.
7. Voluntary Participation and Right to Withdraw
Your participation in this research project is entirely voluntary. You may refuse to participate without any negative consequences and without having to provide a reason for your decision.
If you agree to participate but change your mind before the community forum takes place, you may withdraw from the research project at any time by providing verbal or written notice, without any consequences to you. You do not have to provide a reason. Simply contact the research team using the contact information provided at the end of this document.
Please note that if you decide to withdraw from the project, or if you are withdrawn from the project, no new data will be collected. Since this is a community forum, if you withdraw from the research project, information and materials already collected as part of this project will be retained in order to preserve the coherence of the discussion. However, you may request the removal of your sociodemographic data from the project.
In all cases, it will not be possible to destroy the analyses based on your data once the research results have been published.
Any new information obtained during the course of the project that could affect your decision to continue participating will be communicated to you promptly.
8. Confidentiality
During your participation in this research project, the principal investigator responsible for this project and members of the research team will collect, in a research file, the information about you that is necessary to meet the scientific objectives of this research project.
This research file includes, in particular, the following information: your contact information, your sociodemographic profile, and the community forum in which you participated.
The principal investigator and those who have access to the research data are required to comply with applicable confidentiality regulations in Quebec and Canada.
The research team will take the necessary measures to ensure that the personal information you provide remains confidential. These measures include:
- The secured research file will contain your sociodemographic data collected through the University of Montreal’s LimeSurvey platform associated with this research component, as well as the audio recordings and transcripts of the community forum discussions.
- This consent form, with you contact information, will be stored in a separate file from your research data.
- Electronic files will be stored on the Université de Montréal research team’s Microsoft OneDrive Entreprise account.
Only authorized members of the research team will have access to participants’ identities. Each research participant will be assigned a code that will link their name to their research data. Only the researchers responsible for this component of the project will retain the list linking participant codes to names.
For monitoring, auditing, protection, and security purposes, your research file may be accessed by individuals that are authorized by the funding agencies, the institution, and the Research Ethics Board that approved this project. These individuals and organizations are required to follow strict confidentiality policies.
Dissemination of Research Results
Research data may be published or discussed in scientific contexts; however, it will not be possible to identify you solely from these data.
Retention of the Research File
Research information and data will be stored at Université de Montréal on the research team’s Microsoft OneDrive Entreprise cloud-based platform. They will be destroyed seven years after the end of the project.
9. Compensation
You will not receive any compensation for your participation in this study.
10. Communication of General Research Results
The research team may provide a brief summary of the general research results to the participants who wish to receive it. If you would like to receive this summary, you must provide your email or mailing address at the end of this document.
11. Secondary Use of Data
If you consent, the information you provide may be used for future research projects related to medical assistance in dying. For these secondary uses of data, only your coded or anonymized data will be used. In addition, this use will take place before the scheduled date of data destruction. Any future projects will be under the responsibility of the principal investigator and will require approval from the Research Ethics Board Sciences and Health of Université de Montréal. The research team is committed to maintaining and protecting the confidentiality of your data under the same conditions as those established for the present project.
12. In the Event of Harm
By agreeing to participate in this research project, you do not waive any of your rights, and you do not release the principal investigator, the project sponsor, the funding agency, or the institution from their civil and professional liability.
13. Contact information
If you have any questions or you experience any concerns related to your participation in this research project, or if you wish to withdraw from the project, you may contact a member of the research team using the contact information provided below:
14. Complaints
For any questions regarding your rights as a research participant or the responsibilities of the researchers, you may contact the Research Ethics Board – Sciences and Health by email at cerses@umontreal.ca or the Board’s advisor by telephone at 514-343-6111, extension 2604. You may also consult the following website: http://recherche.umontreal.ca/participants.
Any complaint regarding your participation in this research project may be addressed to the Ombudsman of Université de Montréal by calling 514-343-2100 or by email at ombudsman@umontreal.ca (the Ombudsman accepts collect calls).
15. Monitoring of the Ethical Aspects of the Research Project
The Research Ethics Board in Science and Health (CERSES) of Université de Montréal has approved this research project and will oversee its ongoing ethical review.