The Trudeau government is considering legislation to protect Canadian women’s right to abortion after a leak revealed that the United States Supreme Court is considering overturning the landmark “Roe v. Wade” on the right to abortion, which has been in force for almost 50 years.
“We are looking at this legal framework now to see how we can ensure that women’s rights will always be respected. […] not just now, but under any other government in the future,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on his way to his party’s caucus meeting on Wednesday.
He specified that the Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, and his colleague the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, Marci Ien, have been instructed to study the file “quickly”.
“Unfortunately, we know from what we see among our neighbors to the south, but also from what we see in the debates within the Conservative Party of Canada, that we need to ensure that there are protections for that we (never) see this decline,” added Mr. Trudeau.
During the last election campaign, the Liberals promised to improve access to abortion in Canada by regulating access under the Canada Health Act.
Minister Duclos’ mandate letter asks him to strengthen respect for the law, develop an information portal on sexual and reproductive health rights and support youth-led organizations that meet the needs of those about sexual and reproductive health.
The day before, a Bloc motion reiterating the “free choice” of women to have an abortion or not was defeated in the Commons, for lack of the unanimous consent of the deputies. Bloc Québécois Deputy House Leader Christine Normandin later claimed to have heard “pretty resounding ‘no’s” from the Conservative benches.
The Bloc argues for its part that elected officials should not frame the right to abortion in a law, which would be “exactly the game of the conservatives”.
“Our argument is to the effect that it is not necessary, said Mr.me Normandin on Tuesday. If we try to legislate in terms of abortion, that’s when we open loopholes, we open the door and we can expect that there will be legislation on top of legislation so that the right to abortion is increasingly restricted. »
lips are sealed
Of the Conservative MPs and senators heading to their party’s caucus on Wednesday, nearly all avoided reporters’ questions about abortion. They had received a note on Tuesday asking them to avoid commenting on the news from the United States.
Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu was one of the few to stop. He indicated that the file “is dead, it’s settled” and that if Jean Charest is elected Conservative leader “these ghosts will remain in the closet”.
See: What is ‘Roe vs Wade’?
On this subject, he believes that the leader in the race for the leadership of the party, Pierre Poilievre, cannot “locate himself in a gray zone” and must say clearly whether he is “pro-life or pro-choice”.
“I think chefs in the past have tried this strategy of wanting to please mom (and) dad, but it (doesn’t) work,” said the senator. Mr. Poilievre will have to put on his pants and speak out. »
Pierre Poilievre said last night that if elected leader and prime minister, his government “will not introduce or pass any laws restricting abortion”. However, he did not say whether he would allow his deputies to introduce such bills.
Jean Charest’s campaign says the former Quebec premier supports abortion rights and would never vote for a private member’s bill promising to restrict access.
Ontario Independent MPP Roman Baber, also in the running, said he supports “diversity of opinion” within the party, including on matters of conscience.