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Today is Canada Day, and this date is a good opportunity to ask ourselves what kind of country it has become.

Let us introduce you to Joey.

Joey St-Jean is 24 years old. He’s perfectly sane, with plans and dreams. Living with spinal muscular atrophy, he needs assistance with daily activities and has been living in residential care for four years — currently in a long-term care facility in Montreal. There, in his own words, he feels “like a number.” For a year, he searched for a supervised apartment where he could live with dignity. He even raised $22,000 through crowdfunding. To no avail: such housing is virtually nonexistent.

Discouraged, he has just filed a request for euthanasia, because the system has left him on his own.

And Joey is not an isolated case. This should be a cause for concern for us today.

Since euthanasia was legalized in the country in 2016 — and then expanded in 2021 to include people who are not at the end of life — we have seen a proliferation of shameful stories. Poor people asking to die because they lack housing. Sick people asking to die because they lack access to the care they need. And, as we recall, even veterans to whom a Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) official offered euthanasia while they were asking for help. Paralympian Christine Gauthier, who had been waiting five years for a simple ramp for her wheelchair, told members of Parliament: she was being offered death, but not the tools she needed to live.

This is the truth that this day should remind us of. When a country condemns to death those it should be caring for, housing, and supporting, that is not progress. It is a failure. A stain on its honor. And a stain can and must be erased.

So here’s what we’re asking of you today.

First, let’s not look away. Share Joey’s story with those around you. Let’s not let it be forgotten.

Next, if you can help in a practical way: if you, or someone you know, have a concrete lead (suitable housing, a contact, a resource), write to us at [email protected]. We’ll try to put you in touch.

Finally, let’s stay engaged and make our voices heard by our elected officials: we must help Joey live, not die. The fight for a society that chooses to care for people rather than eliminate them is our fight, every day. Your support for QLC makes this possible.

Joey, if he’s reading this, needs to know one thing: he’s not just a number, he’s not alone, and there are people ready to fight so that he can live.

With you for life,
The Quebec Life Coalition team

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Vigil 365

The 365 Vigil is a daily vigil of presence where, every day for one or two hours, pro-life activists gather in a public square at a certain distance from an abortion clinic in order to end abortion.

For more information, contact Brian Jenkins on (438) 930-8643.

Young Man with Disability Seeks Euthanasia Due to Lack of Accessible Housing
Joey St-Jean has been in a long-term care facility for four years. He suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness and loss of control. He is severely disabled and needs assistance with daily tasks.

All Quebec Politicians Express Desire to Tackle Falling Birth Rate
All Quebec politicians, from the CAQ to the QS (yes, even the QS!) and including the Liberals, are expressing a willingness to tackle the current falling birth rate. Quebec’s total fertility rate was 1.36 children per woman in 2025, which is well below the replacement rate of 2.1.