Bill 18 puts MAID back in its place: MLA Hunter

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

By Trevor Busch
Commentator/Courier
editor@tabertimes.com

The province has now passed Bill 18, the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act, which is designed to place restrictions on the federal government’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) legislation.

Bill 18 creates a stricter provincial framework by enforcing limitations on MAID access that go beyond the federal rules.

“We have had many people come to us and say that they were being pressured to do MAID,” said Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter. “And if that is something that Albertans would like to do, then that’s something that they have as an option. But it shouldn’t be what we’re seeing with the coercion in some of those situations.”

Under Bill 18, five key areas have been targeted:

—foreseeable death required: prohibits MAID for individuals whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable

—mental illness excluded: restricts anyone from receiving MAID if a mental illness is their sole underlying medical condition

—age limits: bars individuals under the age of 18 from accessing MAID

—no advance requests: prohibits advance requests for MAID

—provider restrictions: prevents doctors and nurse practitioners from initiating conversations about MAID or referring patients out of province to receive it

Hunter believes the legislation was a much-needed restriction on the present federal bill. 

“The other thing to think about with the MAID issue is that the federal government passed a bill that says (mature) minors can apply, and for someone who has mental health issues. And we definitely don’t believe in that, and don’t agree with that. And I don’t know if there’s many provinces other than maybe Quebec, from what I’m understanding, that has believed that so that hasn’t been brought into law by the federal government, or they haven’t actually executed that. They said that they’re going to keep consulting, but I hope that they don’t actually go down that road, but this certainly also helps put parameters around that so that can never happen in Alberta.”