A Bloc motion reiterating the “free choice” of women to have an abortion or not was defeated Tuesday in the Commons.
The Bloc Québécois Deputy House Leader, Christine Normandin, tried to obtain the unanimous consent of the House of Commons to pass this motion, but objections were immediately heard.
According to what Ms. Normandin then said in a press scrum, “it was quite a resounding ‘no’ on the side of the Conservative benches”.
In Quebec, the National Assembly unanimously adopted a motion in support of American women, proclaiming their right to have recourse to abortion.
During question period in the Commons, MP Normandin asked Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland if she could guarantee that the federal government would continue to protect women’s right to abortion.
“We have to keep fighting because a single moment of inattention can set us back decades,” said the elected Bloc member.
Ms. Freeland replied that the government is committed “to protecting women’s right to choose, a fundamental right”. The exchange was followed by thunderous applause in the Chamber.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was not in the House, tweeted that “the right to choose is a woman’s right, period.” He assured that his government would continue “to protect and promote the rights of women in Canada and around the world”.
Meanwhile, Conservative MPs and senators received a memo on Tuesday morning asking them to refrain from commenting on news from the United States stemming from a leaked US Supreme Court document.
Access to Abortion in Canada
Be that as it may, Conservative MP Gérard Deltell did not hesitate to say that any setback in the United States would, in his opinion, have no repercussions in Canada. “It’s an issue that was settled almost 50 years ago in Canada and that’s good,” he told reporters before going to question period.
“A woman’s right to decide whether or not she has an abortion is 100% up to her,” he added before dismissing any idea that the issue of abortion could take up considerable space. in the race for the leadership of his party.
New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh is also not afraid of a rollback in Canada of the right to abortion, but he stressed in a press briefing that he wants better access to it. Mr. Singh recalled the case of a clinic in Frederiction, New Brunswick, which has been denied provincial funding for years.
Faced with this type of situation, it is clear in the eyes of the NDP leader that Ottawa must use the Canada Health Act, which defines the terms and conditions surrounding health transfers paid to the provinces.
“If a provincial government does not fully fund health care, the government has [cet] tool to remove funding, to withdraw it until the moment it starts [à financer] all health services,” he said.
Last summer, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned that he was withholding funds intended for New Brunswick because the provincial government refused to fund the abortion clinic in Fredericton.
New Brunswick law prohibits government funding of abortions performed at places other than three approved hospitals.
Asked about the use of the Canada Health Act, the Minister of Justice, David Lametti, replied that this could be part of a reflection to better protect the right to abortion.
” Decision [Morgentaler] is solid so the position is solid in Canada, but, all the same, we could think about it, ”he said in a scrum.
In Ms. Normandin’s opinion, it is clear that what is happening in the United States will have an encouraging effect on groups who wish to restrict access to abortion in Canada. “The lobbies are extremely powerful. They are equipped. They have money. So, in this context, there is no border […] at the level of lobbies, money and publicity”, she commented.
With information from Stéphanie Taylor and Jocelyne Richer