Category: Proposed Laws

Bill removes checks on doctors who put conscience over patients’ well-being

174 Alberta physicians sign letter against protection of conscience bill

Edmonton Journal

Michelle Jung

Please consider this letter of concern regarding Bill 207 Conscience Rights Protection Act. As practising physicians, we have significant concerns with this legislation.

Physicians have numerous responsibilities, of which the most important is protecting the interests of our patients. Section 4(a) states that “Despite any provision of the Health Professions Act, a regulatory body may not impose a requirement on a health care provider that may result in the health care provider being compelled, directly or indirectly, to perform a health care service that they determine would infringe their conscientious beliefs.” . . .[Full text]

Consultation, possible changes after pushback against conscience rights bill

Edmonton Journal

Lisa Johnson

Backbench UCP MLA Dan Williams continued to take heat from the NDP Opposition Monday for introducing conscience rights legislation and offered changes to the controversial bill meant to protect health-care access.

“My intention with offering these amendments is a genuine olive branch, a genuine attempt to say ‘the purpose of this bill is to protect conscience rights, and in no way has any desire to limit access,’” said Williams, MLA for Peace River, in a committee on private member’s bills. . . [Full text]

Lack of public input stalls physician conscience bill at legislature committee

MLA who put private member’s bill forward has already drawn up amendments

CBC News

A wave of public debate over a bill that aims to support the conscience beliefs of medical professionals has the Peace River MLA who drew up the bill already making adjustments. 

Speaking to a legislature standing committee, Dan Williams said he’d had numerous discussions since introducing Bill 207 on Nov. 7, prompting him to draft amendments to address concerns he was hearing. [Full text]

Calgary-area UCP MLAs say they won’t support conscience rights bill

Calgary Herald

 Zach Laing

A pair of Calgary MLAs say they won’t support a controversial private-member’s bill meant to extend protection for physicians’ conscience rights.

Introduced in the legislature last week by Peace River MLA and UCP backbencher Dan Williams, Bill 207 would prevent patients from submitting a professional complaint or suing a health-care worker for failing to provide a service if medical staff objects to it. The bill would also add “conscientious beliefs” as grounds protected from discrimination in the Alberta Human Rights Act. . . [Full text]

UCP MLA denies conscience rights bill limits health care access

Backbench MLA faces continued questions about potential implications of Bill 207

CBC News

Michelle Bellefontaine

The Alberta UCP MLA behind a controversial bill on conscience rights for health care providers says the bill isn’t intended to cut access to services like abortion and medical assistance in dying as critics have charged.

“I feel there is some misinformation about what the bill is trying to do and what it does do,” Peace River MLA Dan Williams told reporters Friday.   

“I want to be absolutely clear. This bill in no way categorically limits access to any services. That was not my intent, that is not what the bill does.” . . . [Full text]