For immediate release – March 18, 2026

Inclusion Alberta welcomes the introduction of Bill 18, new provincial legislation that would refuse to deliver the discriminatory Track 2 Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) pathway of assisted suicide for persons with disabilities whose death is not reasonably foreseeable. Bill 18 is an affirmation that every life has equal value and that disability must never serve as a justification for state-facilitated death. 

“Track 2 MAID discriminates against persons with disabilities and reinforces dangerous stereotypes about the worth of their lives,” said Trish Bowman, CEO of Inclusion Alberta. “Bill 18 is a correction. It would protect Albertans with disabilities from discrimination by ensuring Alberta’s health system does not provide assisted suicide to people whose deaths are not reasonably foreseeable.” 

Since 2021, Canada has allowed Track 2 MAiD, assisted suicide, for persons with disabilities whose deaths are not reasonably foreseeable. Offering death in response to the suffering of persons with disabilities reflects and reinforces the harmful notion that life with a disability is inherently burdensome or less valuable. Suffering rooted in poverty, ableism, discrimination, social isolation, and unmet needs must be addressed with support—not assisted suicide. 

Alongside persons with disabilities and organizations across Canada—including the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, Indigenous Disability Canada, Inclusion Canada, and the Disabled Women’s Network (DAWN) Canada—we have advocated for ending this discriminatory practice. These concerns were heard in the Alberta government’s 2024 consultations with persons with disabilities, disability and mental‑health organizations, and physicians. We applaud Alberta for taking national leadership on this issue. Eligibility for MAiD in Canada is established in the federal Criminal Code, while provinces are responsible for regulating and delivering health care. 

Refusing to deliver Track 2 aligns Alberta with the unified call from disability organizations across Canada and with repeated warnings from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has urged Canada to repeal nonterminal assisted suicide for persons with disabilities. At the same time, it does not interfere with access to Track 1 MAiD for individuals whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable.  

“I will sleep more soundly knowing the lives of the people I love are recognized and equally protected,” said Robin Acton, Past President of Inclusion Alberta and parent of an adult with an intellectual disability. “No family should have to fear that assisted suicide will be offered as a response to suffering when a person’s death is not foreseeable. When people are suffering, our responsibility is to support them to live full and meaningful lives.” 

Bill 18 would not affect access to Track 1 MAiD for individuals whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable, while refusing to implement any future expansion of MAiD to individuals whose sole underlying condition is mental illness.  

Bill 18 is foundational. It is the minimum required to protect the lives and equal worth of persons with disabilities, ensuring persons with disabilities are no longer singled out within Alberta’s health system for a discriminatory pathway to assisted suicide.  But it is only the beginning. A society that values the lives of persons with disabilities must show that value in communities that make it possible for persons with disabilities to fully participate in work, school, and everyday community life—and in government support of these efforts. 

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Inclusion Alberta Chief Executive Officer Trish Bowman is available for interviews. Please contact Tara-Lee LaRose, at tlarose@inclusionalberta.org or 780-554-1546.  

About Inclusion Alberta: Inclusion Alberta is a family based, non-profit federation that advocates on behalf of children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their families. Together, we share a dream of meaningful family life and community inclusion for individuals with intellectual disabilities. As an advocacy organization we support families and individuals in their desire to be fully included in community life.