{"id":21027,"date":"2026-09-12T11:37:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T15:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/?page_id=21027"},"modified":"2026-09-12T11:53:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T15:53:17","slug":"elections-2026-press-release","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/elections-2026-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Elections 2026 – PRESS RELEASE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Saint-Sauveur, September 14, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRESS RELEASE<\/a><\/strong> <\/i>\n\n\n\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qu\u00e9bec Election 2026: Millions Report Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) \u2014 What Will Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s Political Parties Do?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Montr\u00e9al, September 10, 2026<\/strong> \u2014 As Qu\u00e9bec prepares to elect its next government, the Environmental Health Association of Qu\u00e9bec (ASEQ-EHAQ) is calling on the province\u2019s five major political parties to answer a fundamental question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Canadian data demonstrate the scale of the issue. Preliminary 2025 Statistics Canada data indicate that 9.4% of Canadian adults report MCS \u2014 approximately 3.1 million people. Nearly one in eight women reports MCS.<\/strong> Approximately 900,000 Canadian adults report having been diagnosed with the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These numbers demand attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is an accessibility issue.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evidence is here. The solutions are possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canadian research increasingly documents both the barriers and practical ways to address them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ASEQ-EHAQ\u2019s real-world indoor air research found that workplaces with scent-free policies had approximately 70% lower total volatile organic compound (TVOC) concentrations<\/strong> than workplaces without such policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople 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,\u201d said Rohini Peris, President and CEO of ASEQ-EHAQ. \u201cWe have the evidence. We have practical solutions. What we need now is political commitment and action.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five commitments for the next Qu\u00e9bec government<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ASEQ-EHAQ is asking all five major political parties to commit to action in five areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. A Qu\u00e9bec Action Plan on MCS and accessibility<\/strong>, developed with people with lived experience.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Accessible healthcare<\/strong>, including effective source-control and fragrance-free practices, accommodation protocols and education for healthcare professionals and institutions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Accessible, healthy and affordable housing<\/strong>, including attention to lowest-emission materials, products, maintenance and renovation practices and the housing needs of people with MCS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Healthy indoor environments and source control<\/strong>, including lowest-emission procurement, fragrance-free practices and healthier cleaning, renovation and building practices across public institutions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Data, research, professional education and socioeconomic inclusion<\/strong>, including measures addressing employment barriers and meaningful participation of people with MCS in decisions that affect them.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cNothing about us without us\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    People with MCS must be included in the development of the policies, programs and accessibility measures that affect their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ASEQ-EHAQ is therefore asking each political party:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Will you commit, if elected, to working with ASEQ-EHAQ and people with lived experience of MCS to develop a Qu\u00e9bec action plan addressing healthcare access, accessible housing, healthy indoor environments, employment and full participation in society?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Association has asked the five major political parties to respond by September 21, 2026<\/strong>, so their responses can be shared with members and the public before advance voting begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Quebecers with MCS are also being asked to participate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ASEQ-EHAQ has launched a dedicated Qu\u00e9bec Election 2026 and MCS<\/strong> resource to make participation in the election more accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The resource provides evidence on MCS, ASEQ-EHAQ\u2019s five commitments, tools for contacting local candidates and information to help voters with MCS request accessibility accommodations when voting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ASEQ-EHAQ is encouraging Quebecers with MCS, their families and allies to contact candidates in their own electoral divisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThis election is an opportunity for people with MCS to be heard,\u201d Peris said. \u201cWe are asking political parties to tell us clearly what they will do \u2014 and we are asking people across Qu\u00e9bec to make sure their candidates understand that accessibility must include them too.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Qu\u00e9bec Election 2026 and MCS:<\/strong>
    https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/quebec-election-2026\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Data and Publications on MCS:<\/strong>
    https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/data-and-publications-on-mcs-2\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Voting with MCS: How to Request Accessibility:<\/strong>
    https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/information-from-elections-quebec-on-voting-and-accessibility-2\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2013 30 \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Source and media inquiries:<\/strong>
    Environmental Health Association of Qu\u00e9bec (ASEQ-EHAQ)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Michel Gaudet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Executive Director, ASEQ-EHAQ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    514-332-4320<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    contact@aseq-ehaq.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Saint-Sauveur, September 14, 2026 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Qu\u00e9bec Election 2026: Millions Report Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) \u2014 What Will Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s 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 Montr\u00e9al, September 10, 2026 \u2014 As Qu\u00e9bec prepares to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-21027","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21027"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21035,"href":"https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21027\/revisions\/21035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aseq-ehaq.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}