Claire Brosseau (born February 24, 1977) is Canadian actress, writer and stand-up comedian. She has appeared in Just For Laughs and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. She had parts in the films A Previous Engagement and Who is KK Downey? and a recurring role in the television series The Business. In 2025, she found herself at the centre of an ongoing national debate in Canada regarding assisted dying for applicants suffering from mental illness.
Early life and education Brosseau was born on February 24, 1977 in Montreal. Her mother is Mary Louise Kinahan. Claire grew up in Toronto and Montreal. She trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Career
Claire Broseeau was a contributor on CBC's Day 6. She performed stand-up comedy at The Great Canadian Laugh-Off, Just For Laughs, LA, Bridgetown, Seattle, Sudbury, Winnipeg, and Ventura comedy festivals, Comedy Central and The Comedy Channel. After graduating from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City in 1999, Brosseau worked as a singer at Don't Tell Mama in Times Square. She appears in A Previous Engagement (2005), If I Were You (2012), starring Marcia Gay Harden, and Girl's Best Friend (2008) starring Janeane Garofalo.
In May 2010, Brosseau embarked on a year long break from dating. Her blog, The Manbbatical, was published on Toronto's NOW! magazine website.
She was a guest speaker for resident doctors regarding trauma in the ER, health law, homelessness, crisis centres for women, and adoption seminars. Reporters and hosts regularly interview Claire about mental illness across all media platforms. When she could no longer perform because of memory loss, she sold her life story. Writer Tim McAuliffe based the television show Satisfaction on their friendship when they were roommates. In 2026, The Hill Times published her letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Brosseau is also the author of A Clichéd Work Of Staggering Mediocrity on Substack.
Health and assisted dying advocacy Brosseau was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at fourteen. She’s public about living with substance use disorder, ADHD, PTSD and disordered eating.
In 2021, Brosseau applied for Canada's medical aid in dying (MAID) program, but was subsequently rejected on the grounds that she was physically healthy. In 2022, Brosseau wrote to the Senate of Canada advocating for legislative changes to protect the equal and constitutional rights of people who live with severe and persistent mental illness. In 2023, legislative change to allow patients with mental illness to access medical assisted dying was due to come into force but implementation was pushed out.
In 2024, Brosseau, journalist John Scully, and the organisation Dying With Dignity Canada filed a constitutional challenge against the Canadian government seeking equal access to medical assisted dying for people whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental disorder. Claire and Dying With Dignity Canada are arguing that the exclusion of people with mental illness from access to assisted death is discriminatory. In May 2026, she filed an emergency injunction with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, seeking an exemption from the exclusion of people with mental illness as their sole underlying condition from accessing MAID.
Filmography
Film +YearTitleRoleNotes2002Confessions of a Dangerous MindOffice WorkerUncredited2004Phil the AlienMichelle2004Geraldine's FortuneMake-Up Girl2006My First WeddingSusie2008 A Previous EngagementJenny Reynolds2008Who Is KK Downey?Scary Mary2010PeepersThe Cop Caller2012If I Were YouRegan2016Happily Ever AfterMegan
Television YearTitleRoleNotes2004Urban Myth ChillersStephanieEpisode: "À malin, malin et demi"2006BethuneEvelyn3 episodes2006–2007 The BusinessDrunk Chick / Rhonda Goldenblatt5 episodes2007Framed for MurderCharlieTelevision film2008Girl's Best FriendErica2008 A Woman's RageJordan2013SatisfactionLady of the HouseEpisode: "The Internship, Relationship, Friendship"201611.22.63CharleneEpisode: "Happy Birthday, Lee Harvey Oswald"
References
External links
A Clichéd Work Of Staggering Mediocrity Blog on Substack.