Alberta Bill 18 passed and will soon be law. More provinces need to follow Alberta's lead.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.

Alex Schadenberg

I have great news.

Alberta Bill 18 - The safeguards for last resort termination of life act passed on April 18, 2026 and it will soon be signed into law. You can tell by it's title that the bill will not stop Albertans from being killed by euthanasia but it does improve safeguards and it will prevent some deaths.

Bill 18 was introduced as Canada's federal government is once again debating euthanasia for mental illness alone. Below is the press conference with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith when Bill 18 was introduced.

What does Bill 18 do? Bill 18:

• requires the person to have a 12 month terminal prognosis, thus preventing Track 2 euthanasia approvals. Track 2 refers to euthanasia for people who are not terminally ill.
• prevents the expansion of euthanasia to people with mental illness alone, 
• prevents the expansion of euthanasia to "mature minors", people who cannot consent and prevent euthanasia by advanced request,
• prevents out of province referrals,
• requires the assessor to contact other practitioners who have cared for the patient, before approval.
• requires (MAiD) euthanasia practitioners to receive specific training,
• prevents health care practitioners from introducing euthanasia, without a request,
• requires Regulatory Colleges to sanction practitioners who violate the act.
• provides conscience rights by enabling practitioners to refuse to participate or provide assessments for (MAiD) euthanasia,
• enables institutions to refuse to participate or provide assessments for euthanasia.
• require practitioners who refuse to participate or provide assessments to provide information to patients wanting to access euthanasia.

The best improvement from Bill 18 is that it prohibits euthanasia for people who are not terminally ill by requiring the person to have a 12 month prognosis. Bill 18 also prevents health care professionals from introducing the question of euthanasia and it allows medical institutions to refuse to provide euthanasia, which protects palliative care and religiously affiliated institutions from being forced to provide euthanasia.

Now that Bill 18 will soon the law of Alberta, the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition hopes that more provinces will introduce similar legislation.

EPC: Physicians urge Canadian government not to expand euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Dr Blusanovics, Alex Schadenberg, Dr Saba

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) urges Canadians to sign our petition in support of Bill C-218. (Petition Link).

The EPC held a successful bilingual press conference at the Parliamentary Press Gallery on the morning of Monday, April 13 before our rally on Parliament Hill.

(Link to the full video of the Press Conference)

Brian Passifiume reported on the EPC Press Conference for the Toronto Sun on April 13. Passifiume outlines the article by stating that Canada is set to widen eligibility criteria for euthanasia next year. Passifiume reports:

During a Monday morning news conference in West Block, members of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition offered their support for Bill C-218, a private member’s bill intended to prevent next year’s inclusion of mental illness as the sole medical condition for seeking physician-assisted suicide.

Dr Peter Blusanovics

Dr Peter Blusanovics, a physician from Montreal Quebec with 30 years experience caring for patients in psychiatric wards. Passifiume reported him saying:

“I want to provide a voice to our most vulnerable, those who have or are suffering from mental illness,”

“Basic needs are currently not being met in our healthcare system. Without (Bill C-218,) we are condoning a bypass towards suicide, and blatantly admitting defeat.”

Mental illness, he said, needs to be identified and treated. He said those seeking to commit medical suicide aren’t seeking death, but healing.

“There is a current lack of medical support, such as physicians, psychologists, social workers — there is a lack of psychiatric support and long waiting lists to be assessed,” said Blusanovics, a physician at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.

Passifiume stated that Canada plans to extend euthanasia to people with psychiatric conditions alone starting on March 17, 2027. Passifiume reports that:

Patients seeking MAID are assigned to one of two tracks: Track one for those with terminal illnesses or whom natural death is near; and track two for those whose death is not a reasonable outcome in the foreseeable future.

Although Statistics Canada doesn’t include MAID in its annual top-10 list of most common causes of death, government figures said 16,499 Canadians died via MAID in 2024 — making medical suicide that year’s fourth most common cause of death between accidents (20,260) and strokes (13,725.)

Passifiume explained that MP Tamara Jansen introduced Bill C-218 last year to stop the implementation of euthanasia for mental illness alone in March 2027.

Dr Paul Saba

Passifiume then commented on the statements by Dr Paul Saba, a family physician from Lachine Quebec who said:

there’s no way for most psychiatrists to determine which patients’ conditions are untreatable.

“From a legal standpoint, those with mental disorders requesting euthanasia, which has been euphemistically called ‘medical assistance in dying,’ do not meet the condition of free and informed consent, because the desire to die in most cases is a symptom of mental illness,”

Passifiume ends his article by commenting on the Alberta governments proposed changes through Bill 18 to there provincial euthanasia protocols. Passifiume reports:

Last month, Alberta’s provincial legislature tabled a bill that would prevent their physicians from prescribing MAID for track two patients — citing patient safety and growing skepticism for the federal government’s efforts to expand MAID eligibility.

“The consequences of the decision are permanent and irrevocable, and because of this, we have an obligation to consider MAID with the utmost care and caution,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said at a news conference in Edmonton last month.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition urges Canadians to sign our petition in support of Bill C-218. (Petition Link).

Alberta Bill 18 will prevent euthanasia of people who are not terminally ill.

Alberta Bill 18 was debated in the Alberta legislature on March 31, 2026. The debate begin on page 1332 of Hansard.

Hon. Mickey Amery

This is the speech by Alberta's Minister of Justice, Hon Mickey Amery in support of Bill 18.

Bill 18 will provide limits to euthanasia (Read).

Second Reading Bill 18 Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act

The 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.

Animals can have no kill shelters. Why not humans?

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Shropshire ca retirement village.

I read an article about the Shropshire cat retirement village that provide a no kill shelter for elderly cats.

I do not consider cats to be equal to humans, but I am concerned that the legalization of euthanasia in Canada has affected the care of  people that are elderly and nearing death.

There are excellent services and institutions that provide care for people, as they become older or approach the end of life, but these institutions and services have been affected by government rules requiring hospice and palliative care institutions to provide euthanasia. There is also pressure on care homes to allow euthanasia.

There are euthanasia free animal shelters and services. Why can't there be euthanasia free hospice and palliative care services?

For instance, in British Columbia, the Delta Hospice Society was defunded and their 10 bed hospice building was expropriated by the British Columbia government because they refused to kill their patients. The Delta Hospice Society is not the only palliative care / hospice organization that was pressured to kill their patients.

One of the reasons that I strongly support Alberta Bill 18, the bill that provides limits to euthanasia in Alberta, is that Bill 18 will give medical institutions the right to operate a no kill facility.

If cats can have euthanasia free care facilities, then humans should have the same.

More CBC euthanasia (MAiD) propaganda.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

CBC news is once again providing one-sided propaganda of killing by euthanasia (MAiD) in Canada. This time the CBC News article written by Emily Rae Pasiuk attacks Bill 18, the Alberta government bill that provides oversight for euthanasia in Alberta

Essentially Bill 18 requires a person to have a 12 month terminal prognosis and the person would need to ask for euthanasia rather than have the doctor offer it. 

Bill 18 also prevents the further expansion of euthanasia in Alberta.

Pasiuk uses the typical CBC News propaganda style. She quotes from one group that supports Bill 18 and then includes several stories opposing Bill 18. 

Worst of all, she creates a false mystique around Bill 18 to rile up the readers.

The reference for Pasiuk's article is a letter published in the Edmonton Journal on March 27 that was signed by 25 euthanasia (MAiD) providers who oppose Bill 18. Pasiuk states:

Some health-care workers who either directly provide medical assistance in dying or work in that field say they are strongly opposed to Bill 18 — which, if passed, would prevent doctors or nurse practitioners from administering MAID to patients if they are unlikely to die within the next 12 months.

"The proposed mandates and sanctions place clinicians in ethically untenable positions, undermining professional judgment and eroding trust within the therapeutic relationship," the letter reads, in part.

Pasiuk does quote Trish Bowman the CEO of the disability rights group Inclusion Alberta, who said:

"We know it reinforces incredibly negative and dangerous stereotypes about the value and worth of the lives of people with disabilities. And so we're very pleased to see this legislation today that serves to protect them," Bowman said on the day the bill was introduced.

Pasiuk then interviews Judy McPherson, whose son Brian, was killed by euthanasia (MAiD) last year. Brian was a Paralympic athlete who was featured in several previous CBC articles as an example of a person with disabilities who was killed by euthanasia. Pasiuk made sure to follow Bowman's short quote with McPherson's story. 

Dr Adrian Wagg who has done hundreds of "euthanasia assessments" was quoted next. Pasiuk writes:

He said a lot of track 2 requests have involved chronic neurodegenerative diseases; things like ALS, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis for individuals who, "in their opinion, have no quality of life and are suffering daily. And those individuals would be ineligible."

It is important to note that Wagg has not only done hundreds of assessments, he has killed hundreds of people. Referring to assessments is less controversial than referring to deaths.

Nonetheless, Wagg is suggesting that some people with ALS, Parkinson's disease or MS have "no quality of life." I have known many people with these conditions, so I am not negating the difficulty of living with these conditions, but Wagg is actually saying that they are "better off dead." In the current culture Wagg is upheld as compassionate. In reality Wagg's attitude is eugenic as he supports killing people with disabilities.

Eugenics is a very dangerous ideology. Inclusion Canada, and other leading disability groups recognize that Track 2 euthanasia deaths (killing someone who is not terminally ill) always concerns a person with a disability and is based on a eugenic ideology that some people need to be killed.

What does Alberta Bill 18 actually do?

Bill 18 will create greater oversight of (MAiD) euthanasia in Alberta through their provincial powers and it accomplishes a few key outcomes. Bill 18 will:

• require the individual to have a 12 month terminal prognosis, thus preventing Track 2 euthanasia approvals. Track 2 refers to euthanasia for people who are not terminally ill.
• prevent the expansion of euthanasia to people with mental illness alone, 
• prevent the expansion of euthanasia to "mature minors", prevent euthanasia for people who cannot consent, prevent euthanasia by advanced request.
• prevent out of province referrals,
• require the assessor to contact other practitioners who have cared for the patient, before approval.
• require (MAiD) euthanasia practitioners to receive specific training,
• prevent health care practitioners from introducing euthanasia, without a request,
• require Regulatory Colleges to sanction practitioners who violate the act.
• provide conscience rights by enabling practitioners to refuse to participate or provide assessments for (MAiD) euthanasia,
• enable institutions to refuse to participate or provide assessments for euthanasia,
• practitioners who refuse to participate or provide assessments to provide information to patients wanting to access euthanasia.

Alberta Health Services released its 2025 (MAiD) euthanasia data indicating that there were 1,242 reported euthanasia deaths in Alberta which was up by more than 11% from 1,117 in 2024. Alberta represents 11.8% of Canada's population.

CBC is known for it's pro-death ideology and reporting. Emily Rae Pasiuk's report is one of many ideologically based propaganda articles promoting killing by euthanasia (MAiD).

Euthanasia and assisted suicide laws have lost their luster.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Robert Clarke, a lawyer and the director of advocacy with ADF International was published in the Federalist on March 23, 2026 with his article: Around the World, Assisted Suicide Laws Are Losing Support. Clarke outlines how campaigns to legalize euthanasia and/or assisted suicide have lost their luster and a new direction has begun to begin rolling back laws that already exist. 

Clarke writes:

Last week, Scotland resolutely rejected assisted suicide. Alberta announced major new legislation to protect individuals from the practice. And the clock is ticking in the United Kingdom’s House of Lords on a bill that would legalize the practice in England and Wales.

Clarke explains that the recent defeat of Scotland's assisted suicide bill by a vote of 69 to 57 happened with cross-party opposition to the bill. Clarke also refers to the introduction in Alberta of Bill 18, a government bill that will use provincial jurisdiction to institute greater protections for Albertans concerning euthanasia.

Alberta Bill 18 will:

• require the individual to have a 12 month terminal prognosis, thus preventing Track 2 euthanasia approvals. Track 2 refers to euthanasia for people who are not terminally ill.
• prevent the expansion of euthanasia to people with mental illness alone, 
• prevent the expansion of euthanasia to "mature minors", people who cannot consent and prevent euthanasia by advanced request,
• prevent out of province referrals,
• require the assessor to contact other practitioners who have cared for the patient, before approval.
• require (MAiD) euthanasia practitioners to receive specific training,
• prevent health care practitioners from introducing euthanasia, without a request,
• require Regulatory Colleges to sanction practitioners who violate the act.
• provide conscience rights by enabling practitioners to refuse to participate or provide assessments for (MAiD) euthanasia,
• enable institutions to refuse to participate or provide assessments for euthanasia,
• create an exclusion zone for euthanasia around an institution that refuses to participate,
• require practitioners who refuse to participate or provide assessments to provide information to patients wanting to access euthanasia.

Clarke writes:

Over the last four years, deaths in Alberta from Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) regime increased by 109 percent. In her announcement, Alberta’s premier, Danielle Smith, was clear that the proposed law is “about protecting vulnerable Albertans.” As the federal government seeks to expand MAID across the country, including by moving to allow assisted suicide solely on the basis of mental health concerns, Alberta is drawing a line to protect its most vulnerable. If passed, the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act would prohibit MAID for minors and when the sole condition is mental illness, in addition to introducing other key protections and delineating a right to conscientious objection.

Clarke maintains that safeguards cannot make euthanasia or assisted suicide safe but Alberta Bill 18 is headed in the right direction by dealing with some of the most egregious parts of Canada's euthanasia law.

The key factors as to why euthanasia and assisted suicide have lost their luster are the radical implementation and expansion of Canada's euthanasia law and the incredible referendum overturning the Slovenian assisted suicide law. In fact, Canada's euthanasia law had a direct affect on Slovenia's successful referendum campaign.

Canada origally legalized euthanasia for people who were terminally ill and suffering. Canadians were told the the law would only be a last resort, but from the beginning the language of the law lacked definition which immediately led to a type of expansion. 

In less than 5 years Canada expanded the law legally by removing the requirement that a person be terminally ili, eliminated the "reflection period" for those who are terminally ill to allow a same-day death, eliminating the requirement that a person be capable of consenting at the time of the killing and allowing euthanasia for mental illness alone. Parliament delayed euthanasia for mental illness alone. It is now scheduled to begin on March 17, 2027.

The euthanasia stories from Canada have had an incredible effect on the international euthanasia debate. The world asks how a 26-year-old diabetic man with a serious history with mental health issue, who lives in Ontario, could be killed by euthanasia in Vancouver BC after not being approved to be killed by doctors in his own province.

The world asks how a man with a back disability can be approved for euthanasia, even though he is only asking to be killed because of housing issues. The same question comes up concerning an Ontario woman with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities who was living in social housing. She was killed by euthanasia even though she actually needed suitable housing.

These are only a few of the incredible number of stories from Canada that are changing the international perception of euthanasia and assisted suicide. For those who do not oppose killing people, euthanasia and assisted suicide are becoming an interesting theoretical experiment without an effective practical implementation.

The incredible referendum campaign that overturned Slovenia's assisted suicide law is another key factor. Here is an article I wrote about this campaign. (Read article). 

Slovenia is the first country to legalize assisted suicide and then overturn the law. We all now how difficult it is to run a referendum campaign, but the Slovenian campaign stuck to their talking points and did not avoid the truth of what euthanasia and assisted suicide actually are,

The average person continues to have an aversion to killing people. So long as we focus on what euthanasia and assisted suicide actually are, we can win the debate. When become afraid of saying the truth and argue that euthanasia and assisted suicide are not necessary, that means that it is OK but not necessary. Why isn't it necessary? 

Killing is not only unnecessary but it is always wrong to give medical practitioners the right in law to kill you. Also, once legal it cannot be controlled. Killing is contagious.

Alberta Bill 18 will provide limits to euthanasia.

Alberta Bill 18: Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Alberta's Minister of Justice, Mickey Amery, introduced Bill 18: the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act (today) on Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

Bill 18 is designed to create greater oversight of (MAiD) euthanasia in Alberta through provincial powers and will accomplish a few key outcomes. Bill 18 will:

• require the individual to have a 12 month terminal prognosis, thus preventing Track 2 euthanasia approvals. Track 2 refers to euthanasia for people who are not terminally ill.
• prevent the expansion of euthanasia to people with mental illness alone, 
• prevent the expansion of euthanasia to "mature minors", 
• prevent euthanasia for people who cannot consent.
• prevent euthanasia by advanced request.
• prevent out of province referrals,
• require the assessor to contact other practitioners who have cared for the patient, before approval.
• require (MAiD) euthanasia practitioners to receive specific training,
• prevent health care practitioners from introducing euthanasia, without a request,
• require Regulatory Colleges to sanction practitioners who violate the act.
• provide conscience rights by enabling practitioners to refuse to participate or provide assessments for (MAiD) euthanasia,
• enable institutions to refuse to participate or provide assessments for euthanasia,
• require practitioners who refuse to participate or provide assessments to provide information to patients wanting to access euthanasia.

Alberta Health Services released its 2025 (MAiD) euthanasia data indicating that there were 1,242 reported euthanasia deaths in Alberta which was up by more than 11% from 1,117 in 2024. Alberta represents 11.8% of Canada's population.

Based on the data, as of March 18, 2026 there has likely been more than 6500 Alberta euthanasia deaths since legalization.

Bill 18 doesn't prohibit euthanasia but it provides reasonable controls over euthanasia, while preventing euthanasia for people who are not terminally ill or living with mental illness as their sole underlying condition, and it prevents further expansions of euthanasia in Alberta. 

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition supports Bill 18 and we urge other Canadian provinces to follow Alberta's lead.