Subhead:Medical assistance in dying has rapidly expanded since its legalization in 2016 and is now one of the leading causes of death in Canada, accounting for roughly one in every 20 deaths nationwide according to recent federal reports.# The Alberta government has introduced new legislation aimed at tightening safeguards around medical assistance in dying (MAID), particularly for individuals suffering from mental illness or other vulnerable conditions. The proposed Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act would ensure MAID is not used as a substitute for care or support for mental illness or disability. The bill would prohibit MAID in cases where a mental illness is the sole underlying condition and restrict eligibility to patients whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable. Medical assistance in dying has rapidly expanded since its legalization in 2016 and is now one of the leading causes of death in Canada, accounting for roughly one in every 20 deaths nationwide according to recent federal reports.