Quebec’s chief coroner, Reno Bernier, has decided not to move forward immediately with the recent request from numerous doctors for a public inquiry focused on the suicides of doctors in Quebec. Instead, Bernier announced in a press release on Wednesday that the investigations into five doctor suicides since the beginning of 2026 in Quebec will be consolidated and handled by coroner Géhane Kamel.
This decision comes after a letter signed by approximately 1,500 doctors was sent to Bernier on September 18, urging for a thematic public inquiry to explore potential professional, organizational, or systemic factors contributing to physician suicides in Quebec. By combining the ongoing investigations, the goal is to identify any common underlying factors.
“While the current focus is on completing the investigations into the five deaths under a single coroner, the possibility of a public inquiry is not ruled out,” stated the coroner’s office. If the current approach does not yield sufficient insights into the causes of these deaths or ways to prevent similar incidents in the future, the idea of a public inquiry may be revisited.
Coroner Kamel, who has led significant public inquiries in the past, including those related to COVID-19 deaths in CHSLDs, is tasked with this consolidated investigation. The findings of Kamel’s reports will be shared with the public upon completion.
