Letter: Pair of local docs among Alberta physicians to speak out against new MAiD restrictions

By Letter to the Editor on April 1, 2026.

Dear editor,

Last week the provincial government tabled legislation to restrict Medical Assistance in Dying in Alberta.

The reported goal is to “protect the vulnerable” when in reality this legislation will restrict the rights of ALL ALBERTANS to request a peaceful death if they find themselves in enduring and intolerable suffering.

As doctors who assess and provide MAiD, we are deeply concerned about the proposed law which will severely limit who can access MAiD and prevent individuals from even learning about MAiD as an option. These changes go far beyond the stated intent of protecting vulnerable individuals and those with mental illness.

The proposed Bill 18 restricts access to those who are expected to live less than 12 months when the current wording says reasonably foreseeable natural death. Doctors do not have crystal balls and to put death in a timeline of months comes with risks that could affect our licensing to practice medicine.

As a result, we will likely only proceed with those who are very clearly near the end of life. This means people with dementia will no longer be able to choose MAiD as they will never have a point in their illness when they meet all eligibility criteria.

People with unpredictable diseases such as heart failure or emphysema, with slow growing but debilitating cancers such as brain tumours, or with neurologic diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease will not be able to choose MAiD.

The proposed bill eliminates the option of MAiD for individuals without a life-limiting illness (also called Track 2) entirely.

Track 2 was legislated in Canada in 2021 in response to a court challenge in Quebec from Gladu and Truchon, where two individuals with physical disabilities argued it was unlawful to restrict MAiD to those at the end of life.

Justice Baudoin ruled in their flavor, finding that we need to balance our protectionism of the vulnerable, when by aiming to protect them we are actually barring them from making independent decisions and having access to medical care that able bodied persons would have.

Only 4.4 per cent of all Canadian MAiD provisions in 2024 were Track 2. These individuals had longstanding disabilities such as neurologic disorders, frailty, autoimmune conditions and chronic pain.

The Alberta government wants to “protect” these individuals by telling them they do not have the intellectual ability to decide for themselves when their life is no longer tolerable.

We agree that individuals who are not dying in the near future require additional safeguards when determining eligibility, as they tend to face additional structural vulnerabilities and societal stigmas.

There are already additional safeguards for Track 2 cases which include a minimum 90 day assessment period, consultations with a specialist, and that individuals give serious consideration to the alternatives.

These don’t include the additional considerations we give as physicians which include multiple conversations over time, discussions with family members and additional health care providers, referrals to specialists, and utilizing extra tools to determine capacity.

Bill 18 also prohibits clinicians from raising MAiD as an option. We continue to regularly see patients who do not know MAiD is legal in Canada.

Bill 18 will now prohibit us from informing our patients about it and further prevent our patients from making an informed choice in their health care regarding their option for MAiD.

As assessors and providers of MAiD, we were not consulted prior to this bill being tabled. We have not been advised of any concerning cases that have occurred in Alberta to prompt this bill.

We have an abundance of experience that we would be happy to share if the government would like to listen.

If Bill 18 passes in its current form, we dread telling suffering individuals they are not eligible because they may live beyond 12 months.

I would invite the politicians to join us in the clinic room to watch our patients shed their tears. We will be crying as well.

Signatories: Dr. Dionne Walsh, MD CCFP(PC) Lethbridge AB

On behalf of:

Dr. A Gaylene Genge MD, CCFP, FCFP, Spruce Grove AB Dr. Alexandra McPherson MHSc MD FRCPC, Edmonton AB Dr. Andrea Haner, MD, CCFP, FCFP, Lethbridge AB Dr. Ashley Rommens MD, CCFP (EM) – Pincher Creek, AB Bernice Reurink RN, MN, NP, Lethbridge AB Dr. Christine Gibson, MD CCFP FCFP MMedEd DProf DipIBLM , Calgary AB Dr. Christine Luelo, MD. CCFP, SFM President Elect, Calgary AB Christopher Stephens, MN NP, Chestermere AB Dr. Danielle Carpentier, MD CCFP, Calgary AB Dr. Deanne Watrich, CCFP(EM), Edmonton AB Dr. Hayden Rubensohn, MD, FRCPC (Internal Medicine, Palliative Medicine), Calgary AB Dr. James Welke, MD, CCFP, BA, Claresholm AB Dr. Kathleen Reynolds, MD CCFP, Ph.D. Dr. Kristy Penner, Rural Generalist, Crowsnest Pass Dr. Lena Derie-Gillespie, MD CCFP, Medicine Hat AB Marlee MacDonald RN MN:NP CHPCN (C ) Dr. Melanie Currie MD CCFP FCFP, Edmonton AB Dr. Michael Trew MD, FRCPC, Calgary AB Dr. R. Chris Altmeyer, MD, CCFP(EM), Edmonton AB Dr. R. Jane Clarkson MD, CFPC(Em), FCFP, Calgary AB Dr. Rhonda Ness MD FRCPC, Calgary AB Dr. TaeEun Ahn, MD, Calgary AB Dr. Vanessa Lam, MD, CCFP, Calgary AB Dr. William Ruzycki, MD CCFP, Medicine Hat AB

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