Alberta Bill 18 was debated in the Alberta legislature on March 31, 2026. The debate begin on page 1332 of Hansard.
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| Hon. Mickey Amery |
Bill 18 will provide limits to euthanasia (Read).
Second Reading Bill 18 Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life ActThe Speaker: The Hon. Minister of Justice. Mr. Amery: Well, thank you very much,
Mr. Speaker. As always, I am pleased to rise and speak in this Chamber, in particular today to Bill 18, the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act.
If passed, this critically important bill would assure that medical assistance in dying remains an exception, an end-of-life intervention, and should not become routine or replace the provision of proper medical care, disability, or social care here in Alberta. Bill 18 would help ensure the protection of vulnerable Albertans and that medical assistance in dying, or MAID, as it’s commonly referred to, is only provided as a means of last resort as it was first intended to be when limited MAID criminal defences were added in 2016 to the federal Criminal Code. Our government believes that when the outcome is death, the system must meet the highest standards of care, transparency, oversight, and, of course, accountability.
Mr. Speaker, we also believe that the compassionate approach is one that helps people live with dignity, not defaulting to doctor assisted death. It was with that in mind that we undertook the development of this legislation. It’s become abundantly clear and evident that we need to bring in safeguards to ensure protection, care, and dignity for all, especially our most vulnerable.
Now, Canada has the fastest growing death rates in the world when it comes to MAID. Far from being an option of last resort, MAID is now the fifth leading cause of death in Canada. The country is currently projected to reach its 100,000th death by MAID in June, (actually mid-April) becoming the first nation in the modern era to measure its total assisted deaths in the six figures, more than the totals of any other jurisdiction with some form of legal, doctor-assisted death. Far from being the exception, an option of last resort, it has instead become routine, rising 13-fold since legalization.
When legalized, MAID was always intended to be an option of last resort, yet it has become a substitute for care for those who are suffering from loneliness, poverty, mental illness, or social isolation. Health Canada reports that nearly half of track 2 MAID deaths involved suffering from loneliness or isolation, while almost half indicated that they felt that they were a burden. Ontario’s MAID Death Review Committee found that most track 2 recipients were low income. Many did not name a family member as next of kin, suggesting that they were experiencing some form of social isolation.
Mr. Speaker, that information is sobering and it is saddening. It drives home just how important it is that we provide the necessary safeguards before things completely spiral out of control. Our government believes that those experiencing loneliness, isolation, or poverty should be met with compassion and care, not with doctor-assisted death.
Now, similarly, in March of 2025 the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities released findings on Canada’s compliance with the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. The committee sounded the alarm on track 2 MAID in Canada, suggesting that it devalues people with disabilities and acts as a dangerous alternative to providing social and economic supports. They have called on Canada to repeal MAID where death is not reasonably foreseeable.
If passed, Bill 18 affirms this recommendation, limiting MAID in Alberta to those whose natural death has been determined to be reasonably foreseeable. Now, when this bill was tabled, Inclusion Alberta affirmed this direction, stating that “track 2 MAID discriminates against persons with disabilities and [it] reinforces dangerous stereotypes about the [value or] worth of their lives.” Bill 18 will serve as a correction. It would protect Albertans with disabilities from discrimination by ensuring Alberta’s health system does not provide assisted suicide to people whose death is not reasonably foreseeable.
Mr. Speaker, our government believes that MAID should not be a substitute for robust health care options, mental health supports, or palliative care. To this end, one of our government’s central concerns raised through the review is the federal government’s planned expansion of MAID eligibility to include individuals who only have an underlying health condition of mental illness. Now, there’s a serious risk that vulnerable Albertans living with mental illness may choose this most final of actions when other treatment options are available. A majority of Canadians do not support this MAID expansion, with September 2023 polling finding that only 28 per cent of Canadians believe that this expansion is appropriate and 82 per cent of Canadians believing that mental health care should be improved instead.
If Bill 18 is passed, MAID would be prohibited for people whose sole condition is seeking MAID for an underlying mental health illness. Now, as the CEO for the centre of suicide prevention Alberta has stated at the tabling of Bill 18: recovery from mental illness is possible, expected even; for that reason, we welcome the steps Alberta is taking through the legislation to strengthen protections for those experiencing mental illness.
Mr. Speaker, the compassionate response to those suffering from mental illness is what this government has been doing since the very beginning. It is support and care. It is not death.
To further protect vulnerable Albertans, Alberta’s legislation would prohibit MAID for minors and those without capacity to make their own health care decisions. It would also make sure that the consultation is robust, that consultation provided ensures that those that are seeking MAID are not coerced or pressured and that those individuals who are looking to get MAID are the ones that take a proactive approach to seek that information. Mr. Speaker, coercion and pressure is not a real choice. Albertans should never be pressured to end their own lives. Now, Bill 18 strengthens protections of vulnerable individuals from coercion by ensuring that regulated health care professionals cannot initiate MAID discussions in the course of providing everyday health services. Instead, the patient must inquire about MAID services first. This government believes and it always has believed that when it comes to MAID, care should always be the first option.
The proposed legislation would address gaps in the current federal system within Alberta. It would ensure that vulnerable Albertans, including those suffering from mental illness, are protected by setting strong and consistent standards. I urge all members in this House to take the approach of compassion and be mindful about the sensitivities and the complexities of this consequential and very important bill. I would hope that the members opposite and members on this side of the Assembly support this very important bill. Mr. Speaker, hope must always be more accessible than death.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I move second reading of Bill 18. Thank you.
