When Alberta introduced Bill 18 — the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act — on March 18, 2026, it made a decisive move to protect vulnerable, disabled Albertans seeking or being steered toward assisted dying.

In December 2024, Freedoms Advocate submitted a detailed legislative brief directly to the Premier, the Justice Minister, and the Health Minister during Alberta’s public consultation on MAID regulation. We made specific, evidence-based recommendations. We are pleased to share that Alberta’s new legislation reflects a significant number of the suggestions and policy proposals put forth by Freedoms Advocate.

Brief vs. Legislation Comparison

Eliminate Track 2 MAID and restore the requirement that natural death be reasonably foreseeable  ADOPTED

Prohibit MAID for anyone under 18  ADOPTED

Prohibit MAID where the sole underlying condition is mental illness  ADOPTED

Expressly protect physician conscience rights in legislation  ADOPTED

Allow healthcare facilities to refuse MAID on their premises  ADOPTED

Prohibit doctors from raising MAID with patients who haven’t asked  ADOPTED

Prohibit out-of-province referrals to circumvent local denials  ADOPTED

Require assessors to contact all prior treating physicians before proceeding  ADOPTED

Mandate government-set training requirements for MAID assessors and providers  ADOPTED

Introduce mandatory sanctions for practitioners who violate MAID rules  ADOPTED

Require family involvement at the time MAID is provided  ADOPTED

Prohibit advance requests and MAID for those without decision-making capacity  ADOPTED

Restrict display of MAID promotional materials in healthcare facilities  ADOPTED

Address the practice of patients seeking multiple physicians after a denial  ADOPTED

For a full analysis of how Bill 18 compares to our brief, recommendation by recommendation, you can read our detailed comparison here.

If you missed the full brief, you can read it here.

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