From The Hill: Access to abortion
By Dick Cannings MP
In Canada, women’s reproductive rights, particularly the right to choose an abortion, have long been considered a settled issue. However, much like the situation to our south, these rights are now under threat and require renewed attention as anti-choice efforts attempt to erode both the right to and access to abortion services in Canada.
At the federal level, there is an undeniable “creep” of anti-choice influence in Canadian politics, encouraged by the Conservative Party and tolerated by the Liberal Party. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has permitted an increasing number of anti-choice bills and petitions from his circle of MPs, and his party’s attacks on reproductive rights are specific and well-documented. This year, a Conservative MP filed a petition to restrict abortion access, falsely alleging that “98 percent of all abortions are for ‘social or personal convenience.’” In 2023, Conservative MP Michael Cooper used taxpayer funds to receive anti-choice training from Canadian Physicians for Life, a group that praised the reversal of Roe v. Wade and condemned Canada’s lack of abortion restrictions, calling it a “lawless state of fetal killing.”
Poilievre’s voting record further highlights his inconsistent stance on abortion rights. Over the years, and as recently as last year, he cast five votes in support of anti-choice legislation. These efforts underscore the NDP’s concerns that Poilievre cannot be trusted to protect reproductive rights. The anti-choice movement appears to be calling the shots within the Conservative Party, and with the majority of Poilievre’s caucus openly anti-choice, it is clear they cannot be trusted with policy and funding decisions affecting a woman’s right to choose.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has failed to enforce the Canada Health Act, which guarantees equal access to publicly funded abortion care across all provinces and territories. People in rural areas frequently must drive hours or wait weeks to receive abortion services, an unacceptable delay in healthcare access. Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith has pushed to transfer control of hospitals to a private, Catholic organization that would deny abortion care. In New Brunswick, the province’s refusal to cover the cost of surgical abortions outside of hospitals—a clear violation of the Canada Health Act—led to the closure of New Brunswick’s only freestanding abortion clinic.
A person’s right to choose means little if they cannot exercise it freely. But not only is abortion access at risk, the government has failed to expand access for those in need.
For New Democrats, abortion is healthcare. I am proud that, in a minority government, we negotiated the passage of Canada’s pharmacare bill, which includes free access to contraceptives. This session, we announced that we will dedicate an upcoming opposition day to debate and vote on a motion to curb anti-choice bills, petitions, and threats, and to call for stronger federal enforcement of the Canada Health Act to ensure publicly funded abortion services are available across all provinces and territories.
We will continue to challenge the anti-choice movement, demand federal accountability, and push for improved access to abortion care. If adopted, our motion would direct the government to uphold and expand access to reproductive healthcare—a pressing issue, especially in rural and remote regions where services are scarce.
In a political landscape where Conservative policies threaten reproductive rights, the NDP stands as a committed defender of bodily autonomy. To truly be pro-choice, we must agree that abortion access must be both protected and expanded, so that every person has the freedom to exercise their right to choose.
Comments