Alberta's planned restrictions on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) are raising alarms among advocates for those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease. The proposed Bill 18 would limit MAID eligibility primarily to individuals with a reasonably foreseeable natural death within a year.
Patient advocacy groups, including the ALS Society of Alberta and the Parkinson Association of Alberta, argue that the bill’s focus on predictability of death may inadvertently exclude individuals with progressive neurological conditions who experience severe suffering but whose timelines are uncertain.
These organizations emphasize that diseases like ALS are not linear and patients often grieve the loss of abilities from the moment of diagnosis. They fear the new legislation could remove a crucial element of control and autonomy for individuals facing debilitating, incurable illnesses.
The proposed bill aims to revert MAID eligibility to its initial 2016 framework, restricting expanded access granted in 2021 which allowed individuals with grievous and irremediable medical conditions, not necessarily terminal, to access MAID. The Alberta government stated its intention is to ensure MAID is not used as a substitute for care for mental illness or disabilities.
Concerns also extend to the potential rollback of advance care planning options, particularly for conditions like dementia. Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery stated that advance requests for MAID raise significant ethical and legal issues and will remain prohibited, aligning with current federal legislation that requires immediate consent prior to administration.
Last year, 1,242 individuals in Alberta died through MAID. The government noted a 136 percent increase in MAID deaths under the federal expanded eligibility rules between 2021 and 2025.