Alberta legislators pass law increasing euthanasia safeguards

Legislators have passed Alberta Bill 18, increasing safeguards for Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD), even as it skyrockets across the rest of Canada.

Key Takeaways:

• Alberta lawmakers introduced the bill to provide "safeguards" around euthanasia in an attempt to "protect vulnerable Albertans."

• The bill was passed on April 18th, and will soon be signed into law.

• Under the legislation, people who are not terminally ill will not be eligible for MAID, and health care providers are barred from introducing MAID to their patients.

The Details:

Alex Schadenberg reported that AB18 was passed on April 18th, and is set to be signed into law soon. While it will not stop Albertans from being euthanized, it does provide more safeguards, protecting those in vulnerable situations from being pressured into death.

The Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act would:

• ban MAiD for anyone for whom death is not "reasonably foreseeable," requiring a 12-month terminal prognosis

• require that anyone accessing MAiD be over the age of 18

• ban MAiD for mental illness alone

• prohibit doctors from referring patients to MAiD practitioners outside of Alberta

• enshrine conscience protections for medical professionals

• require MAiD practitioners contact the doctors who have previously cared for the patient before approval

Additionally, medical professionals would be barred from suggesting MAID or bringing it up in conversation. It also allows health care institutions, such as religiously-affiliated hospitals, to refuse to participate in euthanasia.

"This legislation strengthens safeguards and restores clear limits on eligibility to protect vulnerable Albertans facing mental illness or living with disabilities," Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in a press conference when the bill was first introduced. "Those struggling with severe mental health challenges need treatment, compassion and support, not a path to end their life at what may be their lowest moment."

Why It Matters:

The issues AB18 is addressing are happening with alarming regularity in the rest of Canada. Since legalizing euthanasia in 2016, deaths from it have skyrocketed across the country, including in Alberta.

According to data from Alberta Health Services, there were 1,242 MAID deaths in 2025, a 10% increase from 2021.

Across Canada, people have been approved for MAID due to disability, poverty, and financial issues. The country is also on track to allow euthanasia with mental illness as the sole diagnosis, with it expected to be permitted by 2027.

In less than 10 years, nearly 100,000 people have been killed through assisted suicide or euthanasia in Canada, and it is now one of the leading causes of death.

The Bottom Line:

While Alberta will still permit euthanasia, AB18 is at least a step in the right direction, protecting the most vulnerable people from being pushed into dying.