Story by Jack Farrell
Smith’s United Conservative Party government introduced a bill that, if passed, would limit medical assistance in dying, better known as MAID, to those likely to die of natural causes within a year.
Those under 18 would still be prohibited regardless of condition, in line with current federal rules.
But Smith said Ottawa's framework is largely missing the mark.
"I think that we're failing in our duty to give people hope," Smith told reporters before the bill was introduced in the house.
"We believe MAID must be a compassionate option reserved only for those who will not recover from terminal illness."
Alberta's bill largely resembles how Canada's MAID program began in 2016. But a few years later, a Superior Court judge in Quebec ruled that restricting access to MAID unless it was reasonably foreseeable that someone would die was unconstitutional.
Ottawa responded by expanding the eligibility in 2021, permitting those suffering from a serious illness or disability that isn't considered terminal and who are in an advanced state of irreversible decline to use MAID. ....