Alberta Seeks to Set Limits on "Medically Assisted Dying"

Jessica Murphy, 

Sareen Habeshian

Alberta has proposed a bill that would limit the use of medically assisted dying - also known as voluntary euthanasia - in the Canadian province solely to end-of-life circumstances.

In 2021, Canada expanded access to medically assisted dying, known domestically by the acronym Maid, to people with serious, incurable illnesses or disabilities, even if their death is not reasonably foreseeable.

Canada is also due to expand access next year to people whose only medical condition is mental illness, though that has twice been delayed.

Alberta is the first jurisdiction in Canada to independently propose limits to the practice.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, said during a news conference on Wednesday that Maid should only be an option for those with no hope of recovery.

Alberta Government Moves to Drastically Reduce Access to Medically Assisted Dying (Euthanasia)

Story by Jack Farrell

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government took steps Wednesday to drastically restrict who's eligible for medical assistance in dying.  

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."

Canada Euthanized a Record 16,499 Patients in 2024

A record 16,499 people died by euthanasia in Canada in 2024, accounting for 5.1% of all deaths in the country.

According to the latest report on “medical assistance in dying” (MAiD) from Health Canada released at the end of last month, there was a 6.9% increase in state-assisted deaths in Canada in 2024.

In 2024, although assisted suicide is permitted, in which the person who wishes to end their own life self-administers the lethal substance, there was not a single case of assisted suicide. Instead, every single person who died under Canada’s MAiD programme died by euthanasia. In 2023, there were fewer than five instances of assisted suicide.

There have been a total of 76,475 instances of euthanasia and assisted suicide since they were made legal in Canada in 2016.

Quebec has the Highest Euthanasia Death Rate in the World, Will Great Britain Be Next?

According to the 2024-25 report of the Commission on end-of-life care, medics directly killed 6,268 people in Quebec, accounting for almost one in every twelve deaths.

Politicians at Westminster and Holyrood are currently scrutinizing legislation that would allow state-sponsored suicide across Great Britain.

Self-coercion

The Commission noted that the number of “MAID (Medical Aid in Dying) procedures administered and the proportion of deaths resulting from MAID” have been on the rise in the province since euthanasia was legalised in 2015.

During the study period, 7.9 per cent of all deaths were attributed to MAID, an increase of nine per cent on the previous year.

More than half cited feeling a burden on family, friends or caregivers as a reason they chose euthanasia, while 24 per cent said they wished to die because they felt lonely or isolated.

Cam MacDonald: Capturing a Gold Metal and More

I am sorry to hear about your recent car accident, how it has left you in pain and temporarily unable to do many of the things that you love. As someone who has dealt with a disability their whole life, I understand how frustrating things can be. I know how it feels to be isolated and left out.

I understand that frustration can often lead us to contemplate suicide (MAID) or self-harm, but I also know that if circumstances were different and things were going well, this would not be something that you would be considering. When I have contemplated suicide, the four areas of struggle for me have been faith, hope, peace and purpose. When I am in these situations, it is a struggle to think positively. Yet, in every situation, there are eventually good things waiting, just around the corner.

Canadian Group That Led Campaign for Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) Calling for Safeguards

Miranda Schreiber, Special to National Post

The civil liberties group that led the push for the 2015 decriminalization of physician-assisted suicide in Canada is now warning it has become too easy to obtain MAID, and the government must enact safeguards.

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) filed the case for Carter v. Canada, the constitutional challenge that led to the country’s current Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) regime. Statistics released last week reveal it was responsible for about one in 20 deaths in Canada in 2023, including 622 people who received MAID for a non-terminal illness.

Liz Hughes, [pictured above] who has served as BCCLA executive director since June 2023, said in a statement to the National Post the group is “aware of concerning reports of people being offered MAID in circumstances that may not legally qualify, as well as people accessing MAID as a result of intolerable social circumstances.”

Hughes called for government action: “Governments must put in place, actively review, and enforce appropriate safeguards to ensure that people are making this decision freely.”

Heart-Wrenching Lessons from Canada's Euthanasia Regime

By Dr Ramona Coelho (pictured here)

Twenty years ago, just out of medical school, I couldn’t have imagined that vulnerable patients might one day feel their suffering was so poorly dealt with that they'd ask their doctor to end their lives. Since our country, Canada, legalised Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in 2016, we have seen over 60,000 MAiD deaths by 2023, with exponential yearly growth rates. Quebec’s recent report reveals that their MAiD annual death rate has surpassed 7%, and they can’t even assess the quality of palliative care provided.

The Canada I grew up in valued dignity and protected the vulnerable. Now, inadequate care and weak safeguards are pushing Canadians with disabilities toward assisted death. A recent report from an Ontario government committee I sit on confirms the warnings of Canadian and United Nations human rights experts: people are choosing death because they lack essential supports and services.

Press Release: Disability Rights Coalition Challenges Discriminatory Sections of Canada’s Assisted Dying Law in Court

Krista Carr pictured left and quoted below.  

A coalition of disability rights organizations and two personally affected individuals have filed a Charter challenge with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. They oppose Track 2 of Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) law, which provides assisted suicide to people with a disability who are not dying, or whose death is not “reasonably foreseeable.”

The coalition includes national disability organizations Inclusion Canada, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD), Indigenous Disability Canada (IDC/BCANDS), and DAWN Canada, as well as two individuals who have been harmed by Track 2 MAiD.

The organizations assert that Track 2 MAiD has resulted in premature deaths and an increase in discrimination and stigma towards people with disabilities across the country. While they are not challenging MAiD Track 1 in this case, they recognize that it too can pose significant problems for people with disabilities. Track 2 MAiD has had a direct negative impact on the lives of people with disabilities.

Quebec Scheduled to Begin Granting Requests for Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia (MAID)

By Joe Bongiorno, The Canadian Press 

MONTREAL — Quebecers who want to arrange a medically assisted death before their condition leaves them unable to grant consent can do so as of next month, the province announced Saturday as it unveiled details of a plan to grant such requests without waiting for Ottawa to update the country’s criminal code.

[Quebec Premier Francois Legault, left, walks to a cabinet meeting with Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube in Quebec City]

Quebec’s government said last month it would stop waiting for the federal government to implement the requested amendments and forge ahead with plans to grant early MAID requests. On Saturday, the province announced such requests could be granted as of Oct. 30.

Canadian Man Offered Euthanasia Multiple Times

By Daniel Payne, original publication, 06 23 24  

Amid ongoing efforts to expand euthanasia in Canada under the name of “medical aid in dying” (MAID), one Ottawa man says he has been offered euthanasia “multiple times” as he struggles with lifelong disabilities and chronic pain from a disease called cerebellar ataxia. 

Roger Foley, 49, [pictured right} shared some of his story in a recent video interview with Amanda Achtman of the Dying to Meet You project, which was created to “humanize our conversation on suffering, death, meaning, and hope.” The project seeks to “[restore] our cultural health when it comes to our experiences of death and dying” through speaking engagements and video campaigns. 

Canada: Deep Convictions and Deep Pockets are Needed to Fight the MAID Lobby

By Gabrielle Peters (article excerpt).

“On the question of religious hospitals, despite being a lesbian couple, Patricia and I would tolerate life-size crucifixes in the treatment room if it meant being safe from MAID.” ~ Catherine Frazee,  (pictured here).* 

Disabled people often talk about being made invisible. This feeling is particularly striking around issues that are specific to us like MAID, "Medical Assistance in Dying." The lobbyists and proponents for Canada’s MAID regime routinely mischaracterize or, more often, omit mention of disabled people or our reasons for opposition entirely.

Surge in Medically Assisted Deaths Under Canada’s MAID Program Outpaces Every Other Country

By Masih Khalatbari, Investigative Journalism  Bureau and Robert Cribb, Staff Reporter. Original publication, Saturday, January  27, 2024

Dr. Sonu Gaind, [pictured right] head of the psychiatry department at Sunnybrook Hospital, said he is concerned about what the surge in medically assisted deaths & [what it] "says about our society.”

The number of Canadians ending their lives through medically assisted death has grown at a speed that outpaces every other nation in the world.

As Canada is poised to expand eligibility criteria under medical assistance in dying (MAID) legislation, data from all 11 countries where the controversial end-of-life treatment exists shows Canada is the fastest-growing adopter in history, an analysis by the Investigative Journalism Bureau and the Toronto Star has found.

Canadian Doctors Admit Covid ‘Booster’ Shot Paralyzed Woman, Offer to Euthanize Her to ‘Make Up for It’

Canadian doctors have admitted that a Covid “booster” shot from Moderna is responsible for a young Ontario woman now being paralyzed for the rest of her life.

37-year-old mother Kayla Pollock is now paralyzed from the neck down after receiving the mRNA injection and says her life has become a “living hell.”

According to a report from The Liberty Daily, however, doctors have offered to “make up for it” by euthanizing the young mom.