Category Archives: Health Law

Bill C-7 Amends Medical Assistance in Dying Laws in Canada

By: Fiona Balaton and Lorian Hardcastle

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Legislation Commented On: Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), 2nd Sess, 43rd Parl, 2021 (assented to 17 March 2021)

On March 17, 2021, changes to Canada’s Criminal Code provisions on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) under Bill C-7 received Royal Assent and are now in effect. These changes mark a significant milestone in Canada’s MAiD laws, which have been under constant debate and criticism since the Supreme Court of Canada held in Carter v Canada (Attorney General), 2015 SCC 5 (CanLII), that in certain circumstances, the criminal laws prohibiting assistance in dying limited the rights to life, liberty and security of the person under section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in a manner that was not demonstrably justified under section 1 of the Charter. This blog post reviews the judicial and legislative history of MAiD in Canada, outlines the major new changes, and discusses some ongoing concerns with the MAiD laws. Continue reading →

COVID-19 and Rule by Fiat under Alberta’s Public Health Act

By: Shaun Fluker and Lorian Hardcastle

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Matters Commented On: Order in Council 354/2020, CMOH Order 38-2020, and COVID-19 info for Albertans: Mandatory public health measures

Alberta declared its second COVID-19 related public health emergency on November 24 with Order in Council 354/2020, which was issued under section 52.1 of the Public Health Act, RSA 2000, c P-37 (the Act). This declaration is in place for 90 days, unless extended by resolution of the legislature pursuant to section 52.8 of the Act. This declaration also reinstates the controversial power of ministers to unilaterally amend statutes (see here) over the holiday season. On the same day as this declaration, the Premier, the Minister of Health, and the Chief Medical Officer of Health announced new restrictions to “bend the curve” at a news conference. The Premier and the Minister of Health stated that many of the new restrictions would take effect immediately with the backstop of legal sanction (including $1000 tickets). These measures were considered and determined without any legislative debate, despite the fact that the Legislature is currently sitting. Public debate on these new legislative measures seems to have amounted to nothing more than questions from media at the news conference. COVID-19 has many victims; democracy should not be one of them.

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Private Health Care and the Law Part 2: Lessons for Alberta

By: Lorian Hardcastle

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Case Commented On: Cambie Surgeries Corporation v British Columbia (Attorney General), 2020 BCSC 1310 (CanLII)

On September 10, Justice Steeves of the BC Supreme Court released his decision in Cambie Surgeries Corporation v British Columbia (Attorney General). The driving force behind this case was Dr. Brian Day, an orthopedic surgeon who founded a private surgical clinic in Vancouver that engaged in illegal billing practices. When the BC government cracked down on those practices, Day responded by arguing that the combination of long wait times and laws limiting private funding for insured services violated the Charter.

It is important to note that this case only considered private funding for medically necessary hospital and physician services (i.e. those addressed in the Canada Health Act, RSC 1985, c C-6) and not the plethora of other health services for which there is a patchwork of public and private funding, such as drugs and dental care. In a previous post, I examined Justice Steeves’ constitutional analysis. Here, I summarize the international evidence on private health care and the implications of this decision for Alberta in light of recent moves to increase private surgical clinics and a vote at the United Conservative Party’s (UCP) Annual General Meeting supporting privately financed health care.

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Private Health Care and the Law Part 1: Litigation Challenging Limits to Private Care

By: Lorian Hardcastle

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Case Commented On: Cambie Surgeries Corporation v British Columbia (Attorney General), 2020 BCSC 1310 (CanLII)

On September 10, Justice Steeves released his decision in Cambie Surgeries Corporation v British Columbia (Attorney General), which addresses the constitutionality of BC’s limits on private health care. The plaintiffs argued that if the government could not provide timely care, it could not prevent patients from accessing private care (at para 27), while the government argued that limits on privatization are necessary to protect the public system and ensure equitable access. This blog post summarizes the 880-page ruling, with a focus on section 7 of the Charter. It omits other issues, including a brief analysis of section 15 of the Charter (at paras 2804-2874) and a discussion of the impartiality and independence of expert witnesses (at paras 1064-1152). For readers who are unfamiliar with constitutional law, this document briefly outlines the approach courts take in adjudicating Charter claims. A second blog post will discuss the relevance of this case in Alberta.

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COVID-19 and Masking in Alberta K-12 Schools

By: Shaun Fluker

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Order Commented On: Record of Decision CMOH Order 33-2020

Many parents and their children are excited about the return to K-12 school, but they are also anxious about the potential for a COVID-19 outbreak at their schools. The barrage of information delivered to parents in the past week by schools regarding protocols for COVID-19 probably isn’t helping to ease any feelings of discomfort. Nor are reports that some schools have already delayed the start of classes because of an infection. Now is the time for a voice of authority to give assurance that the Government of Alberta has taken all possible measures to assess and mitigate the risk of contracting COVID-19 in schools. These measures would include the enactment of rules governing a return to school which are clear, organized, justified, and developed in a transparent process. Instead, the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) and the Premier have been responding to criticism and confusion about the return to school plan, and in particular the rules pertaining to masking and social distancing in Alberta’s K-12 schools. This is a very unfortunate outcome and is raising questions of trust in the CMOH, but it does not come as a surprise to me. I have been following Alberta’s COVID-19 law and policy since the declaration of the public health emergency in March, and I have consistently remarked that CMOH decisions have been plagued with non-transparency and disorganization (see here). This messy approach to lawmaking breeds confusion, and that is exactly what has transpired here. With these thoughts in mind, this post takes a critical look at the back to school rules set out in CMOH Order 33-2020.

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