Alberta to keep barring advance MAID requests despite new federal bill
Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser announced legislation to decriminalize advance requests for medically assisted dying for people with dementia, but the choice to allow it rests with each province.
Why it matters
The decision affects whether Albertans with dementia can plan ahead for a medically assisted death before losing the capacity to consent.
The federal government is preparing legislation that would decriminalize advance requests for medical assistance in dying (MAID) for people with dementia and similar conditions, allowing them to consent in advance while still mentally capable. Justice Minister Sean Fraser announced the move on Oct. 7, but implementation will depend on individual provinces, which can decide whether and how to let people make such requests.
Alberta has already taken its position. The province passed legislation last March barring advance MAID requests, and the new federal bill will not change that, according to Maddison McKee, press secretary to Adriana LaGrange, Alberta's minister of hospital and surgical health services. McKee said ending a person's life when they can no longer confirm their wishes raises serious concerns about consent and protecting vulnerable people, and that the safeguards enacted last spring will stay in place.
Quebec has taken the opposite approach, legalizing advance requests in October 2024. As of early October this year, the province had 3,463 registered advance requests, though figures on how many led to an assisted death are not yet available.
Medical experts remain split on the ethics of advance consent in dementia cases. A Toronto geriatrician who served on an expert panel said the hardest cases arise when a patient's current wishes may not match how they feel once their condition progresses, while a Montreal physician who treats dementia patients questioned whether advance consent to death can ever be considered medically valid.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.