Elections 2026 – PRESS RELEASE
Saint-Sauveur, September 14, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Québec Election 2026: Millions Report Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) — What Will Québec’s Political Parties Do?
ASEQ-EHAQ calls on all five major political parties to make concrete commitments on healthcare, housing, employment, accessible indoor environments and full participation for people with MCS
Montréal, September 10, 2026 — As Québec prepares to elect its next government, the Environmental Health Association of Québec (ASEQ-EHAQ) is calling on the province’s five major political parties to answer a fundamental question:
What will your government do to ensure that Quebecers with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) can access healthcare, housing, employment, public services and public spaces without facing preventable chemical exposure barriers?
New Canadian data demonstrate the scale of the issue. Preliminary 2025 Statistics Canada data indicate that 9.4% of Canadian adults report MCS — approximately 3.1 million people. Nearly one in eight women reports MCS. Approximately 900,000 Canadian adults report having been diagnosed with the condition.
These numbers demand attention.
For people with MCS, everyday environments can become barriers to participation. Fragranced products, air fresheners, cleaning and disinfecting products, pesticides, renovation materials and other chemical sources can affect whether a person is able to enter a healthcare facility, remain in a workplace, find suitable housing or access a public service.
This is an accessibility issue.
The evidence is here. The solutions are possible.
Canadian research increasingly documents both the barriers and practical ways to address them.
ASEQ-EHAQ’s real-world indoor air research found that workplaces with scent-free policies had approximately 70% lower total volatile organic compound (TVOC) concentrations than workplaces without such policies.
New peer-reviewed Canadian research has documented barriers faced by people with MCS in healthcare, difficulties obtaining accommodation, socioeconomic impacts, and gaps in the implementation of fragrance-free policies.
A newly published ASEQ-EHAQ study on healthcare access found that fragranced and disinfectant products in healthcare institutions were frequently reported as barriers by people with MCS.
“People with MCS should not have to choose between protecting their health and seeing a doctor, keeping a job, finding a home or participating in their community,” said Rohini Peris, President and CEO of ASEQ-EHAQ. “We have the evidence. We have practical solutions. What we need now is political commitment and action.”
Five commitments for the next Québec government
ASEQ-EHAQ is asking all five major political parties to commit to action in five areas:
- A Québec Action Plan on MCS and accessibility, developed with people with lived experience.
- Accessible healthcare, including effective source-control and fragrance-free practices, accommodation protocols and education for healthcare professionals and institutions.
- Accessible, healthy and affordable housing, including attention to lowest-emission materials, products, maintenance and renovation practices and the housing needs of people with MCS.
- Healthy indoor environments and source control, including lowest-emission procurement, fragrance-free practices and healthier cleaning, renovation and building practices across public institutions.
- Data, research, professional education and socioeconomic inclusion, including measures addressing employment barriers and meaningful participation of people with MCS in decisions that affect them.
“Nothing about us without us”
People with MCS must be included in the development of the policies, programs and accessibility measures that affect their lives.
ASEQ-EHAQ is therefore asking each political party:
Will you commit, if elected, to working with ASEQ-EHAQ and people with lived experience of MCS to develop a Québec action plan addressing healthcare access, accessible housing, healthy indoor environments, employment and full participation in society?
The Association has asked the five major political parties to respond by September 21, 2026, so their responses can be shared with members and the public before advance voting begins.
Quebecers with MCS are also being asked to participate
ASEQ-EHAQ has launched a dedicated Québec Election 2026 and MCS resource to make participation in the election more accessible.
The resource provides evidence on MCS, ASEQ-EHAQ’s five commitments, tools for contacting local candidates and information to help voters with MCS request accessibility accommodations when voting.
ASEQ-EHAQ is encouraging Quebecers with MCS, their families and allies to contact candidates in their own electoral divisions.
“This election is an opportunity for people with MCS to be heard,” Peris said. “We are asking political parties to tell us clearly what they will do — and we are asking people across Québec to make sure their candidates understand that accessibility must include them too.”
Québec Election 2026 and MCS:
https://aseq-ehaq.ca/en/quebec-election-2026/
Data and Publications on MCS:
https://aseq-ehaq.ca/en/data-and-publications-on-mcs-2/
Voting with MCS: How to Request Accessibility:
https://aseq-ehaq.ca/en/information-from-elections-quebec-on-voting-and-accessibility-2/
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Source and media inquiries:
Environmental Health Association of Québec (ASEQ-EHAQ)
Michel Gaudet
Executive Director, ASEQ-EHAQ
514-332-4320