The Canadian Virtual Hospice approached Dr. Balfour Mount, Canada’s “father of palliative care,” shortly after his retirement in 2007, to take part in a video project capturing his perspectives on living and dying. We are indebted to Dr. Mount for inviting us into his home and sharing his story with us.

A Lifetime of Achievement

Known for his compassion and empathy for all people, Dr. Mount pioneered the palliative care movement in North America and has spent more than 30 years advocating for quality care when cure is not possible. Dr. Mount’s vision of whole person care has revolutionized the way we provide comfort to the terminally ill and changed the way we think about dying. He is the founder and former director of McGill University’s Palliative Care Divisions, originator of the McGill Program in Integrated Whole Person Care and founder of Montreal’s biannual International Congress on Palliative Care. Referred to as “the compassionate vanguard of palliative care,” his work has set Canada on a course to be a world leader in the provision of palliative care and is an inspiration to those who work to improve quality end-of-life care.

Dr. Mount is an Officer of the Order of Canada and an Officer of the National Order of Quebec, and has received honorary degrees from the University of Calgary, Queen’s University and Dalhousie University.

A Moral Force: The Story of Dr. Balfour Mount, Andrew Duffy, The Ottawa Citizen, April 23, 2005.