Alberta Minister of Justice Mickey Amery announces proposed changes to several pieces of democratic process legislation, in Edmonton on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

By The Canadian Press

CP NewsAlert: Alberta moves to drastically reduce access to medically assisted dying

Mar 18, 2026 | 2:46 PM

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government is taking steps to sharply restrict who’s eligible for medical assistance in dying.

Smith’s United Conservative Party government has introduced a bill stipulating that only those likely to die of natural causes within a year would be eligible for medical assistance in dying, better known as MAID.

MAID would also continue to be banned for anyone under 18, as federal rules also dictate.

The proposed Alberta limitations are similar to the rules used when Canada’s MAID program was launched in 2016.

A Quebec judge later found those eligibility rules overly narrow and unconstitutional, prompting the federal government to expand eligibility five years ago.

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The federal rules currently allow people to apply for MAID if they’re in an advanced state of decline and suffering from a serious illness or disability not considered terminal.

Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery says the Quebec decision isn’t binding on Alberta and, if necessary, it would defend the bill in court.

More coming.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press