An historic vote today in Quebec.

The province’s landmark right-to-die bill has been adopted.

Bill 52 passed this afternoon in the National Assembly by a 94-22  margin, with no abstentions.

The free vote brings in legislation that is officially dubbed “An Act Respecting End-Of-Life Care.”

Bill 52 stipulates that patients themselves will have to repeatedly ask a doctor to end their lives – on the basis of unbearable physical or psychological suffering.

Patients would also have to be deemed mentally sound at the time of the requests.

Assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal under Canada’s Criminal Code – and Ottawa has insisted it has no intention of changing that.

The federal government has said it can challenge the legality of Quebec’s new legislation.