Located at the intersection of Rue Saint-Urbain and Avenue des Pins, the hospital was founded in 1645 by nurse Jeanne Mance, and remains an important Montreal historical site. But with the recent completion of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), a mega-hospital located near the Vendome station, the Hôtel-Dieu is set to be vacated by the end of this year to allow for the merger, privatization, and consolidation of Montreal’s health services.

“The idea of this project is to take this land from the government, to have an agreement where they would give the land to the community and then to develop a number of projects.”

Numerous community organizations like the Milton Parc Community and the Old Brewery Mission have opposed the privatization of the hospital, and put forth plans to put it to good use.

Speaking to CKUT, Théo Rouhette, a McGill student who volunteers with the Coalition communautaire Milton Parc, explained some of the main pillars of the project.

“The idea of this project is to take this land from the government, to have an agreement where they would give the land to the community and then to develop a number of projects,” said Rouhette, “This project would range from social housing to student residences, to urban agriculture, to art exhibitions and galleries, to small businesses, and also to create a public green space for people to interact with the area.”

“We want to make available decent housing for the homeless, and the Indigenous people living in the area.”

Dimitri Roussopoulos, one of the speakers at the assembly, highlighted the importance of providing housing to marginalized communities, and addressed how the Hôtel-Dieu could play a part in doing so.

“We want to make available decent housing for the homeless, and the Indigenous people living in the area,” said Roussopoulos. “We want to establish a lot of social housing, especially cooperatives with green roofs,” Roussopoulos said.

Roussopoulos further spoke about the importance of community with regards to the project.

“We want it, of course, to be community controlled.”

“We want it, of course, to be community controlled,” elaborated Roussopoulos. “In other words, we want the land to be owned by the people, the partners who develop all this.”

Speaking to The Daily in French, Kia Khojandi, a student at Ahuntsic College who attended the event, stressed the importance of preserving the city’s heritage.

“Hôtel-Dieu is Montreal’s oldest hospital,” said Khojandi, “but it is also more than just a hospital. It is a testimonial to the city’s rich history and heritage. […] Thankfully, there are community movements such as this [that] try to preserve the city’s heritage and turn the site into something that is worthy of its historical value and significance.”

The coalition of community organizations working on the project has met with Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, as well as Quebec Minister of Health Gaetan Barrette. The mayor expressed interest in establishing social housing on the site’s current parking lot.

“It is a testimonial to the city’s rich history and heritage.”

“If we want public authorities to listen,” said Khojandi. “We need to continue mobilizing our efforts and show them that we are determined and that we care. That’s why public assemblies such as [these] are so important.”

Acknowledging the importance of social mobilization, Rouhette added, “The success of this story would show [Montreal] that it is possible to create another world where private property and speculation are not the main pillars, and that community-based activities, […] environmental issues, and projects can occur if there is cohesion between the people.”

“If we want public authorities to listen, we need to continue mobilizing our efforts and show them that we are determined and that we care. That’s why public assemblies such as [these] are so important.”

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The panel consisted of Susan Desjardins, head of the Ottawa chapter of Dying with Dignity Canada, Jean-Pierre Ménard, a lawyer specializing in medical responsibility, and Carolyn Ells, an associate professor of the biomedical ethics unit at McGill.

“One of the key societal issues of our generation.”

The panel discussed the legal, ethical, and philosophical implications of physician-assisted death in Canada. Topics included the expansion of end-of-life choices and the right to avoid unwanted suffering, as well as the evolution of Canadian legislation on medically-assisted suicide.

Labelling it “one of the key societal issues of our generation,” Desjardins underscored the societal duty to reflect on the right to die with dignity and the importance of continuing the discourse on palliative care.

Restricted eligibility

Ménard discussed the history of Canadian legislation on assisted death. “In Quebec […] we gradually realized, with the evolution of medicine, that the right to die can indeed be a human decision,” he said in French.

Passed in 2014, Bill 52, otherwise known as an act respecting end-of-life care, made Quebec the first province in Canada to legalize physician-assisted death. While recognizing that Quebec is more advanced than other provinces in terms of legislation on euthanasia, Ménard stressed, “Quebec law is still more restrictive than what it ought to be. It doesn’t go far enough.”

“All Canadians should have the same right to avoid ‘[euthanasia] tourism’ in Quebec,” he added. Euthanasia tourism, also known as suicide tourism, refers to people travelling to places where euthanasia is legal in order to receive physician-assisted death.

“Quebec law is still more restrictive than what it ought to be. It doesn’t go far enough.”

Ells, who testified before the Parliament’s special joint committee, analyzed some of the contentious eligibility criteria recommended by the committee’s report, which widens the scope of eligibility to potentially include capable minors, and states that mental illness should not preclude eligibility.

“I take the view that the people’s ability to consent should be the driving factor in whether they are granted the authority to consent on their own behalf to assisted death,” Ells said.

Sofia Voloshina, an International Development Studies student who attended the event, agreed with Ells.

“I believe that individual[s] should be free to decide what to do with their bodies even if it is about ending their lives.”

Speaking to The Daily, Voloshina said, “I believe that individual[s] should be free to decide what to do with their bodies even if it is about ending their lives. When the quality of life is very low, when someone is in constant pain and suffering and there is no hope for their condition to get better, they should have a right to ask a physician [to assist] them to take their lives.”

Carter v. Canada

In spite of the decision of Carter v. Canada (Attorney General) on February 6, 2015, in which the Supreme Court recognized the right to assisted death for competent adults suffering intolerably, the access to such medical assistance remains restricted in most Canadian provinces.

“The individual who meets the eligibility criteria in Carter still has to hire a lawyer to prepare an application and all the associated affidavits,” Desjardins explained.

She continued, “Our work is not done. Despite the court’s decision, the recommendations, and pending legislation, there are a minority of people who are still opposed to medical assistance in dying.”

“Despite the court’s decision, the recommendations, and pending legislation, there are a minority of people who are still opposed to medical assistance in dying.”

The Supreme Court issued a deadline of June 6 for Parliament to enact a new bill, thus new legislation on the matter is expected to be enacted by this summer.

Mila Ghorayeb, Vice President of McGill Freethought Association at McGill and an organizer of the panel, told The Daily, “Something that we’ve been worried about lately is that the discourse on assisted suicide has been overly influenced by dogmatic thinking. […] So we need to take a step back and continue the conversation.”

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The interfaith dialogue focused on the conception of God in Muslim and Christian traditions. Underscoring some of the similarities between the two faiths, Murray reiterated the importance of positive interbelief dialogue, saying, “We can agree to disagree without being disagreeable.”

The dialogue brought together students of differents faiths, providing them with a platform to ask questions and discuss the differences and similarities of their beliefs.

When asked about the importance of interfaith dialogue, Armanda Megne Ekoga, a U1 Political Science and African Studies student who attended the panel, told The Daily, “There are still so many conflicts over religion, so it’s important for us to share thoughts and to share love just to know what other people think and keep the dialogue going.”

“It’s important for us to share thoughts and to share love just to know what other people think and keep the dialogue going.”

Jebara, an advocate of social responsibility and universal values, underlined the loving nature of God and stressed the importance of being “accepting and tolerant of diversity and difference.”

Francis Guruma, a Kindergarten Education student, agreed. “[Diversity] is a good opportunity to learn from other people [… and] to eliminate preconceptions and stereotypes. The more we learn from each other, the more we learn to accept [each other],” Guruma told The Daily.

Speaking to The Daily, Munema Moiz, a U3 Neuroscience student who is Muslim, said, “I think at McGill, we’re very lucky because there are a lot of events and they really try to create a sense of community. And I also think we’re lucky because Montreal is such a diverse city. As a Muslim, you can easily find other Muslims and show your culture and your faith.”

Jordan Weeks, an organizer of Uncover McGill, underscored the fact that interfaith dialogue has to be initiated by students. “The university is secular; it can’t take an official position on any of these questions,” Weeks said.

“But what we can do is hold a dialogue between people who genuinely hold these positions and will argue on behalf of them in a respectful and kind way, that’s not polemic, that’s not argumentative. That’s interfaith dialogue.”

Similarly, Sandra Yogendran, one of the co-organizers of the talk, believes such events “can unearth questions that people might not take the time to think about in the business of life and it’s an opportunity for people to find truth as well as find new friendships and learn about other perspectives.”

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