(Montreal) Quebec solidaire (QS) reiterates its election proposal on Sunday to make prescription contraceptive products free.
The party is taking inspiration from British Columbia, which recently announced that birth control will be free for all from the 1er next April. Western Province has provided funding of $119,000 over three years, or just under $40,000 per year.
QS, for its part, estimates that this would cost Quebec $48,000 per year, but that the savings made with the reduction in costs related to unwanted pregnancies would more than compensate for this investment.
“It’s a question of dignity,” insists spokesperson Manon Massé in a telephone interview, arguing that this would allow women to freely choose the method of contraception that suits them best. “Not all contraceptives are covered in whole or in part by the Régie de l’Assurance Maladie du Québec,” she recalls.
At the moment, “it’s as if contraception was a consumer good like the rest,” she laments, while Quebec “is rich and feminist enough” to remove this weight from the shoulders of women. .
The party also wants to distribute free menstrual products in public places like schools and arenas, as Scotland has done since 2020.
“Economically, it’s a burden on women’s wallets,” according to Ms.me Massé, who reminds us that some have to choose to use toilet paper or even miss their classes due to a lack of funds to buy hygienic products.
Health Minister Christian Dubé’s office did not immediately respond to requests from The Canadian Press.