Why should new Alberta legislation worry you?
Everything you need to know about the Government of Alberta’s Bill 18 and why it’s a threat to MAID access across Canada.
The basics
Located in Alberta? Visit this page to write your representatives.
The Government of Alberta has introduced Bill 18, the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act, which would change how medical assistance in dying (MAID) is accessed in the province.
If passed, the legislation would add additional restrictions beyond Canada’s existing MAID framework. These include limiting access to people whose natural death is expected within a specific timeframe and restricting how and when health care professionals can discuss MAID. The legislation would also exclude individuals whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness from accessing MAID forever and remove advance requests and mature minors from future consideration.
Bill 18 matters even if you’re not in Alberta because it provides a dangerous and disturbing example of what can happen when federal jurisdiction is not respected and the voices of those impacted by such legislation are not heard.
It violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. MAID has been governed under federal criminal law since the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2016 decision in Carter v. Canada established a national legal framework for MAID legislation in the Criminal Code. And Bill 18 clearly speaks to federal legislation over which the province has no jurisdiction.
The passage of Bill 18 would mean that those in Alberta will have stricter eligibility criteria than those in the rest of Canada. Notably, the federal law allows MAID for those whose natural deaths are not reasonably foreseeable; Alberta would remove this option entirely. In addition, Alberta’s proposed law aims to limit MAID to those with a limited life expectancy. For those with dementia and other capacity-diminishing diagnoses this could mean that many will lose decision-making capacity before meeting the criteria for MAID, therefore missing out on the choice entirely.
While this change will not impact you if you live outside of Alberta, it’s critical that we all take action to ensure that what’s happening in Alberta, doesn’t happen anywhere else in Canada.
Take action today
Let your elected officials know that you do not support restrictions on access to MAID in Canada.
If you’re outside of Alberta, send a personal email or letter to your Member of Parliament (MP) and the Ministers of Justice and Health. To find your MP, you can visit the House of Commons website and enter your postal code. Then click on the MP’s name and select contact to see their email and mailing addresses. To copy the Ministers of Justice and Health, add mcu@justice.gc.ca and hcminister.ministresc@hc-sc.gc.ca to your email.
And remember, if you’re sending a letter, no postage is required.
If you’re located in Alberta, visit this page more more information on writing your representatives.
Alternatively, you can also use our letter-writing tool. Add your name and tell your elected officials to respect people’s end-of-life rights by stopping Bill 18. The letter is fully customizable. If you have a personal experience related to medical assistance in dying, we encourage you to include that in your letter.
Empower. Inform. Protect your rights.