Alberta has proposed a bill that would limit the use of medically assisted dying - also known as voluntary euthanasia - in the Canadian province solely to end-of-life circumstances. In 2021, Canada expanded access to medically assisted dying, known domestically by the acronym Maid, to people with serious, incurable illnesses or disabilities, even if their death is not reasonably foreseeable. Canada is also due to expand access next year to people whose only medical condition is mental illness, though that has twice been delayed.
Alberta is the first jurisdiction in Canada to independently propose limits to the practice. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, said during a news conference on Wednesday that Maid should only be an option for those with no hope of recovery. This legislation strengthens safeguards and restores clear limits on eligibility to protect vulnerable Albertans facing mental illness or living with disabilities, she said.
The proposed legislation seeks to prohibit doctors from unilaterally raising Maid with patients and banning its public advertising in healthcare facilities. It would also enshrine conscience protections for healthcare professionals and institutions. While polls indicate there is broad support in Canada for medically assisted dying, there has also been widespread debate about the programme's expansion and concerns over whether appropriate safeguards are in place.
Canada first legalised euthanasia in 2016 for people with terminal illnesses before expanding it to people with serious and chronic physical conditions, following a court case in the province of Quebec. Medically assisted deaths accounted for roughly 5% of deaths in Canada, according to federal government data. In 2024, approximately 96% had a death deemed reasonably foreseeable, due to severe medical conditions such as cancer. In a small minority of assisted-death cases, patients may not have been terminally ill but sought to end their lives due to a long and complicated illness that significantly impacted their quality of life.
Moira Wilson, president of Inclusion Canada, a national organisation that works to support people with intellectual disabilities, expressed support for the proposed legislation, urging other provinces to follow suit. However, supporters of expanded access to Maid criticized the proposal, calling it a direct attempt to limit patient autonomy.
