Anja Karadeglija - National Post - Yesterday
People protest after the leak of a draft majority opinion written by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, preparing for a majority of the court to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision, in New York City on May 3, 2022.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow individual states to ban abortion “horrific.”
“Today’s a difficult day,” he said Friday. “I think of those generations of women around the world and specifically in the United States, who fought so hard to gain rights and continue to fight today… and are facing this devastating setback.”
Trudeau reacted to the decision on Twitter and in a brief joint statement with Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly from Rwanda, where the two are meeting with representatives from other Commonwealth nations.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision, released Friday morning, overturns a ruling that had been in place for almost 50 years and ensured constitutional protections for abortion. It’s expected Friday’s reversal will lead to abortion bans in about half of the United States.
Joly said Friday was a “dark day for women in the United States and around the world,” and took aim at the Canadian Conservative party.
“No country in the world, including Canada, is immune to what’s going on in the United States,” she said.
“Even last year, the Conservatives voted in favour of reopening the debate on abortion in Canada,” Joly said, referring to a House of Commons vote last June where most of the Conservative caucus voted in favour of a bill banning sex-selective abortion.
Joly said “right now, as the Conservative leadership race is happening, candidates are shopping for anti-abortion votes.”
Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen said in a statement access to abortion “was not restricted under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and the Conservative party will not introduce legislation or reopen the abortion debate.”
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She accused the Liberals of “importing issues from the U.S. in an attempt to wedge and divide Canadians.”
But even as most Conservative leadership contenders said Friday they were in favour of abortion rights in Canada, one of the candidates expressed support for some restrictions.
Leslyn Lewis said she was in favour of banning sex-selective abortions, “coerced abortions” and “ending abortion funding overseas.”
“Our party can decide whether we want to keep running from the Liberals or whether we are actually going to be a big-tent party of unity that can welcome all Canadians into our fold, allowing healthy discussions and productive conversations to take place,” she said in a blog post.
A spokesperson for Pierre Poilievre said he would not “introduce or pass any laws restricting abortion.”
Jean Charest said that though he recognizes “there are strongly held beliefs on this issue, reproductive rights in Canada are non-negotiable.” Both Patrick Brown and Scott Aitchison likewise said they supported a woman’s right to choose.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement that these “dangerous policies that threaten women’s health and women’s lives must not be allowed to take root in Canada.” He called on the Liberals to do more to ensure access, noting it’s possible that women from the United States will now start coming to Canada for abortion services.
“It’s crucial that the government invests in women’s health care and expands access to ensure Canadians can get the help they need, when they need it,” he said.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association called the U.S. Supreme Court decision “an appalling step back in the ongoing struggle for equality,” warning that “the consequences for the health and dignity of women, girls and trans individuals who need abortions will be dire.”
The CCLA said most Canadians have access to abortion services through their provincial health care system, with the exception of New Brunswick, where 90 per cent of residents don’t have adequate access.
The New Brunswick government only funds surgical abortion services in three hospitals, located in two cities. The CCLA has launched a court challenge over lack of access in that province.
During last year’s federal election, the Liberals promised to update the Canada Health Act to regulate access to abortion services across the country, and said they would use federal health transfers to make sure provinces follow the new rules.
In his statement, Singh said while the Liberals “say the right things about being pro-choice,” the government needs to do more to make “the much-needed and long-overdue investments in women’s health care services.”
“There is so much more the government can do to ensure better access to health care services for women living in rural and remote communities,” he said.
Trudeau said Friday that “in Canada, we will always defend women’s rights to choose and continue to work to expand access to the full range of reproductive health and services across the country.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow individual states to ban abortion “horrific.”
“Today’s a difficult day,” he said Friday. “I think of those generations of women around the world and specifically in the United States, who fought so hard to gain rights and continue to fight today… and are facing this devastating setback.”
Trudeau reacted to the decision on Twitter and in a brief joint statement with Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly from Rwanda, where the two are meeting with representatives from other Commonwealth nations.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision, released Friday morning, overturns a ruling that had been in place for almost 50 years and ensured constitutional protections for abortion. It’s expected Friday’s reversal will lead to abortion bans in about half of the United States.
Joly said Friday was a “dark day for women in the United States and around the world,” and took aim at the Canadian Conservative party.
“No country in the world, including Canada, is immune to what’s going on in the United States,” she said.
“Even last year, the Conservatives voted in favour of reopening the debate on abortion in Canada,” Joly said, referring to a House of Commons vote last June where most of the Conservative caucus voted in favour of a bill banning sex-selective abortion.
Joly said “right now, as the Conservative leadership race is happening, candidates are shopping for anti-abortion votes.”
Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen said in a statement access to abortion “was not restricted under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and the Conservative party will not introduce legislation or reopen the abortion debate.”
She accused the Liberals of “importing issues from the U.S. in an attempt to wedge and divide Canadians.”
But even as most Conservative leadership contenders said Friday they were in favour of abortion rights in Canada, one of the candidates expressed support for some restrictions.
Leslyn Lewis said she was in favour of banning sex-selective abortions, “coerced abortions” and “ending abortion funding overseas.”
“Our party can decide whether we want to keep running from the Liberals or whether we are actually going to be a big-tent party of unity that can welcome all Canadians into our fold, allowing healthy discussions and productive conversations to take place,” she said in a blog post.
A spokesperson for Pierre Poilievre said he would not “introduce or pass any laws restricting abortion.”
Jean Charest said that though he recognizes “there are strongly held beliefs on this issue, reproductive rights in Canada are non-negotiable.” Both Patrick Brown and Scott Aitchison likewise said they supported a woman’s right to choose.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement that these “dangerous policies that threaten women’s health and women’s lives must not be allowed to take root in Canada.” He called on the Liberals to do more to ensure access, noting it’s possible that women from the United States will now start coming to Canada for abortion services.
“It’s crucial that the government invests in women’s health care and expands access to ensure Canadians can get the help they need, when they need it,” he said.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association called the U.S. Supreme Court decision “an appalling step back in the ongoing struggle for equality,” warning that “the consequences for the health and dignity of women, girls and trans individuals who need abortions will be dire.”
The CCLA said most Canadians have access to abortion services through their provincial health care system, with the exception of New Brunswick, where 90 per cent of residents don’t have adequate access.
The New Brunswick government only funds surgical abortion services in three hospitals, located in two cities. The CCLA has launched a court challenge over lack of access in that province.
During last year’s federal election, the Liberals promised to update the Canada Health Act to regulate access to abortion services across the country, and said they would use federal health transfers to make sure provinces follow the new rules.
In his statement, Singh said while the Liberals “say the right things about being pro-choice,” the government needs to do more to make “the much-needed and long-overdue investments in women’s health care services.”
“There is so much more the government can do to ensure better access to health care services for women living in rural and remote communities,” he said.
Trudeau said Friday that “in Canada, we will always defend women’s rights to choose and continue to work to expand access to the full range of reproductive health and services across the country.”
Trudeau pledges to defend abortion rights around the world amid 'devastating setback'
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to defend abortion rights in Canada and around the world on Friday after what he called a "devastating setback" in the United States.
"Quite frankly, it's an attack on everyone's freedoms and rights," Trudeau said of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that guaranteed the right to abortion.
"It shows how much standing up and fighting for rights matters every day, that we can't take anything for granted," Trudeau said from the Commonwealth summit in Kigali, Rwanda.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, who joined Trudeau in Kigali, called it a "dark day" and warned the decision will have "a domino effect on other rights," adding that no country is immune and accusing Conservatives of "shopping for anti-abortion votes."
Trudeau did not take questions from reporters after making his statement.
Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen accused the Liberals of politicizing the abortion issue to create division.
She said in a written statement that her party's position on abortion has not changed and the Conservatives "will not introduce legislation or reopen the abortion debate."
Jean Charest, a candidate in the Tory leadership race, tweeted on Friday he was "disturbed" by the news. He said while he recognizes there are strongly held beliefs on the issue, "reproductive rights in Canada are non-negotiable."
Leslyn Lewis, another candidate who describes herself as "pro-life," tweeted on Friday that "Canada is not the U.S." She said she expects Canadians to be able to have adult conversations about the topic.
She said her position is that coercive and sex-selective abortions are wrong, and a Conservative party under her leadership would allow free votes for issues of conscience in the House of Commons.
A majority of Conservatives voted in favour of a private member's bill last year to outlaw sex-selective abortions, but the bill was defeated.
The party's other leadership candidates have either said that they support the right to choose an abortion or that they would not introduce legislation restricting it.
The Campaign Life Coalition, which holds an annual anti-abortion rally on Parliament Hill that attracts thousands and has supported Lewis's candidacy, put out a statement praising the court: "We thank God and heartily applaud this decision."
Reacting to the news on Friday morning, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement that "dangerous policies that threaten women's health and women's lives must not be allowed to take root in Canada."
He said the government needs to work harder to improve abortion access for women, especially in rural communities. "The Liberals say the right things about being pro-choice but that isn’t enough," he added.
The right to an abortion doesn't exist in Canada in the same way it was enshrined in Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that served as a rock-ribbed legal scaffold for reproductive rights champions around the world.
Abortion is decriminalized in Canada because of a 1988 Supreme Court decision, but no bill has ever been passed to enshrine access into law.
Though the decision is sending "shock waves" everywhere, the legal ability to have an abortion in Canada is not under threat, said Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.
But her organization is concerned about Americans coming north for abortion care and is advocating for federal and provincial governments to help clinics with more funding because, as Arthur puts it, "even a small number of Americans can overwhelm our system."
Later on Friday, Joly was asked whether the government would require provinces to provide access to late-term abortions, and if American women could have their abortions funded by Canada. She said they want to take "strong measures" towards better access.
"We will work with women's organizations across the country to listen to their needs and also work with provinces and territories," she said in Kigali.
Cara Zwibel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association noted that while most Canadians have access to abortion services through provincial health care, that is not true in New Brunswick. Publicly funded abortion services in that province have been restricted to three hospitals in two cities. The CCLA filed a case against the N.B. government that is making its way through courts.
Oxfam Canada executive director Lauren Ravon likewise reacted to the decision with concerns about the "enormous challenges" in abortion access for Canadian women who live in rural and remote areas, are in precarious housing situations or face intimate partner violence.
Social media was replete Friday with criticisms of the court's decision from Liberal and like-minded politicians, including a tweeted statement from Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland that said she was "shocked and horrified" and "abortion is a fundamental right."
But advocates such as Arthur have been hoping the government will start "putting their money where their mouth is."
In May, after a leaked copy of the U.S. Supreme Court's draft decision was obtained and published by Politico, the Liberal government announced it was spending $3.5 million on two projects to improve abortion access — part of a $45 million pot of money for sexual and reproductive health services they had announced in 2021.
At the time, Trudeau said his government was discussing how to make sure progress on reproductive rights is not reversed by future governments or court decisions, and that enshrining access to abortion with legislation could be one way to do that.
Liberals have made no major strides toward doing that, however, nor have they followed through on an election promise last fall to create Canada Health Act regulations that would penalize provinces for failing to provide access to sexual and reproductive health services.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters in May such mechanisms already exist, but his officials were looking at reinforcing them in the coming months.
Last year, the Liberal government confirmed it had withheld about $140,000 of New Brunswick's share of the federal health transfer because it does not fund abortions provided at a clinic in Fredericton.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2022.
— With files from Laura Osman in Kigali, Rwanda.
Marie-Danielle Smith, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to defend abortion rights in Canada and around the world on Friday after what he called a "devastating setback" in the United States.
"Quite frankly, it's an attack on everyone's freedoms and rights," Trudeau said of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that guaranteed the right to abortion.
"It shows how much standing up and fighting for rights matters every day, that we can't take anything for granted," Trudeau said from the Commonwealth summit in Kigali, Rwanda.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, who joined Trudeau in Kigali, called it a "dark day" and warned the decision will have "a domino effect on other rights," adding that no country is immune and accusing Conservatives of "shopping for anti-abortion votes."
Trudeau did not take questions from reporters after making his statement.
Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen accused the Liberals of politicizing the abortion issue to create division.
She said in a written statement that her party's position on abortion has not changed and the Conservatives "will not introduce legislation or reopen the abortion debate."
Jean Charest, a candidate in the Tory leadership race, tweeted on Friday he was "disturbed" by the news. He said while he recognizes there are strongly held beliefs on the issue, "reproductive rights in Canada are non-negotiable."
Leslyn Lewis, another candidate who describes herself as "pro-life," tweeted on Friday that "Canada is not the U.S." She said she expects Canadians to be able to have adult conversations about the topic.
She said her position is that coercive and sex-selective abortions are wrong, and a Conservative party under her leadership would allow free votes for issues of conscience in the House of Commons.
A majority of Conservatives voted in favour of a private member's bill last year to outlaw sex-selective abortions, but the bill was defeated.
The party's other leadership candidates have either said that they support the right to choose an abortion or that they would not introduce legislation restricting it.
The Campaign Life Coalition, which holds an annual anti-abortion rally on Parliament Hill that attracts thousands and has supported Lewis's candidacy, put out a statement praising the court: "We thank God and heartily applaud this decision."
Reacting to the news on Friday morning, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement that "dangerous policies that threaten women's health and women's lives must not be allowed to take root in Canada."
He said the government needs to work harder to improve abortion access for women, especially in rural communities. "The Liberals say the right things about being pro-choice but that isn’t enough," he added.
The right to an abortion doesn't exist in Canada in the same way it was enshrined in Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that served as a rock-ribbed legal scaffold for reproductive rights champions around the world.
Abortion is decriminalized in Canada because of a 1988 Supreme Court decision, but no bill has ever been passed to enshrine access into law.
Though the decision is sending "shock waves" everywhere, the legal ability to have an abortion in Canada is not under threat, said Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.
But her organization is concerned about Americans coming north for abortion care and is advocating for federal and provincial governments to help clinics with more funding because, as Arthur puts it, "even a small number of Americans can overwhelm our system."
Later on Friday, Joly was asked whether the government would require provinces to provide access to late-term abortions, and if American women could have their abortions funded by Canada. She said they want to take "strong measures" towards better access.
"We will work with women's organizations across the country to listen to their needs and also work with provinces and territories," she said in Kigali.
Cara Zwibel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association noted that while most Canadians have access to abortion services through provincial health care, that is not true in New Brunswick. Publicly funded abortion services in that province have been restricted to three hospitals in two cities. The CCLA filed a case against the N.B. government that is making its way through courts.
Oxfam Canada executive director Lauren Ravon likewise reacted to the decision with concerns about the "enormous challenges" in abortion access for Canadian women who live in rural and remote areas, are in precarious housing situations or face intimate partner violence.
Social media was replete Friday with criticisms of the court's decision from Liberal and like-minded politicians, including a tweeted statement from Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland that said she was "shocked and horrified" and "abortion is a fundamental right."
But advocates such as Arthur have been hoping the government will start "putting their money where their mouth is."
In May, after a leaked copy of the U.S. Supreme Court's draft decision was obtained and published by Politico, the Liberal government announced it was spending $3.5 million on two projects to improve abortion access — part of a $45 million pot of money for sexual and reproductive health services they had announced in 2021.
At the time, Trudeau said his government was discussing how to make sure progress on reproductive rights is not reversed by future governments or court decisions, and that enshrining access to abortion with legislation could be one way to do that.
Liberals have made no major strides toward doing that, however, nor have they followed through on an election promise last fall to create Canada Health Act regulations that would penalize provinces for failing to provide access to sexual and reproductive health services.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters in May such mechanisms already exist, but his officials were looking at reinforcing them in the coming months.
Last year, the Liberal government confirmed it had withheld about $140,000 of New Brunswick's share of the federal health transfer because it does not fund abortions provided at a clinic in Fredericton.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2022.
— With files from Laura Osman in Kigali, Rwanda.
Marie-Danielle Smith, The Canadian Press
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