Alberta's justice minister has been directed to introduce new legislation on medical assistance in dying, or MAID, that would give the government greater control and oversight of the program.

A new mandate letter to Mickey Amery from Premier Danielle Smith says the legislation should introduce "appropriate safeguards" and prohibit mental illness from being a sole eligibility factor.

The letter doesn't provide detail on what safeguards the province is looking to implement or what kind of oversight it wants to have.

Amery, in an email, also didn't provide details, but said health care falls under provincial jurisdiction and that federal rules are insufficient in "providing the necessary oversights and safeguards to protect vulnerable Canadians."

Mental illness has never been an approved

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