Sign the parliamentary petition on Lyme disease in Quebec!

We’re very proud to finally be able to share with you the parliamentary petition Instauration et application d’un plan d’action relatif à la maladie de Lyme, which calls on the government to take swift action to enable the care of Lyme disease sufferers in Quebec.

The petition is open for signatures now and will be online until February 1, 2018, the deadline for collecting names. In the days following the close of the signature period, the petition will be submitted to the Quebec National Assembly through MNA Sylvain Pagé, the Official Opposition’s spokesperson on public health and prevention. It will then be studied by a parliamentary committee, and we will have 30 days to receive an official response from the government.

Sign, share and share again! The strength of our initiative lies in the massive mobilization of all those concerned by Lyme disease in Quebec. Instructions for signing the petition electronically can be found on the petition page on the assembly website: https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-7019/index.html.

You can also print out the petition in paper format: https://aqml.ca/petition, collect signatures by hand and send the completed sheets to MNA Sylvain Pagé before January 25, 2018 (Sylvain Pagé, MNA for Labelle, Hôtel du Parlement, 2nd Floor, Suite 2.99, Quebec City, Quebec G1A 1A4).

The full text of the petition can be found below. We had to be very strategic in our requests and choice of words, as parliamentary petitions must be no more than 250 words long (and we used them all).

We’re now counting on all of you to circulate this highly important petition, which can really advance the cause of Lyme disease in Quebec! Sign, share and share again!

The AQML team

Petition : Introduction and implementation of a Lyme disease action plan

CONSIDERING THAT, according to the INSPQ, Lyme disease (LD) is a serious emerging infectious disease, unknown to physicians, transmitted to humans by the bite of certain types of infected ticks;

CONSIDERING THAT several regions are endemic and sporadic cases are possible throughout Quebec;

WHEREAS PHAC recognizes that ML has several distinct stages, and if not treated promptly and adequately, “severe symptoms can occur and last for months or even years”, potentially leading to disability;

CONSIDERING THAT the recent Federal Framework for Lyme Disease highlights the need for more research to overcome the shortcomings of current diagnostic and treatment protocols (blood tests of low sensitivity, complex and variable clinical picture, etc.);

CONSIDERING THAT doctors are treating ML with effective, scientifically-proven treatments, but outside the official protocol, and that their use may result in disciplinary action against the doctors;

CONSIDERING THAT patients suffering from ML confirm that they are not adequately cared for by the Quebec healthcare system, with extremely harmful consequences on their physical, psychological and financial health;

We, the undersigned, ask the government :