Premier Danielle Smith says the province objects to any implementation of the new MAiD legislation.."We are consulting with legal and mental health experts regarding the proposed legislation and its impact on those with mental health challenges," said a statement from Smith's office on Monday.."Given the Government of Alberta’s responsibility to deliver health care services and to regulate the health care profession, we object to the federal government moving forward with expanding MAiD eligibility without agreement from the province.".The Trudeau Liberals passed Bill C-7 in March of 2021 to extend euthanasia options to the disabled, but delayed euthanasia for the mentally ill until March 17, 2023. However, Federal Justice Minister David Lametti said the federal government would hold off on the extension because provinces and health care providers wanted more time to work out appropriate guidelines..In an interview, Alex Schadenberg, president of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, told the Western Standard negative press pushed back the government’s timeline for the time being..READ MORE: Life advocate says governments must re-examine MAiD.“The overwhelming pressure on the government was to hold back now,” Schadenberg said..Schadenberg said the Liberals may have delayed the implementation because of a possible election in the spring. He expects the final guidelines will probably require a year’s effort of mental health supports and a psychiatrist’s additional approval, similar to what is done in the Netherlands. He also sounded alarm bells over Quebec’s recent annual report on end-of-life options..“There was 15 deaths that did not fit the criteria [under] the law. Some of them were just there wasn't a doctor who did second signature. Some of them were the person was clearly not qualified under the law. And yet there was no charges at all done whatsoever,” Schadenberg said..According to the report, euthanasia deaths reported by facilities (3,629) and the Collège des Médecins du Québec (323) totalled 3,952. However, this total was 289 more than the 3,663 found in doctor’s reports. Schadenberg said such discrepancies are reported every year without a proper accounting.
