Evidence of meeting #51 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was srhr.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
Thank you ever so much, MP McPherson.
For the second round of questioning, we go to Mr. Chong.
Mr. Chong, you have four minutes.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to follow up on what I wanted to ask earlier, in my first intervention.
The sustainable development goals, as you know, Ms. Bowden, are universal in nature, as opposed to the millennium development goals, which applied only to developing countries. The SDGs apply to both developed and developing countries. As I mentioned, and as you know, one of the goals of the SDGs is to ensure the availability of robust data. At the time of the MDG final report, they noted that only 51% of countries maintained data on maternal causes of death.
News reports last fall highlighted something that I think is of concern as the SDGs apply to Canada. According to reports at the time, the WHO reported a higher maternal mortality ratio for Canada in 2017 than Statistics Canada did, and by a significant amount. In fact, reports indicate that Canada's data is so incomplete that the World Health Organization, UNICEF and others estimate that Canada's maternal mortality rate could be as much as 60% higher than what is being reported by Statistics Canada. If those estimates by the WHO are correct, while our maternal mortality rate is still low by global standards, those higher numbers would put us in the bottom tier of countries in OECD.
Can you tell us what gaps there are in data collection in Canada?
12:40 p.m.
Director, Policy, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
Certainly. One of the things we have long called for, which I understand we will likely see the introduction of soon in Canada, is a national sexual health survey, providing a kind of broad census information around some of these points in particular.
It is difficult across the federal system to compile data from a clinical level up to a provincial level and to a national standard. I think the introduction of a survey like this is something that could help close those gaps.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
We're not the only federation in the OECD. There are plenty of other federations that collect data that is much more cogent than our federation's, so why are there gaps in our data collection?
12:45 p.m.
Director, Policy, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
I think that would be a question for Statistics Canada.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
Okay. I appreciate that answer.
I don't really have any further questions. Perhaps my colleague Mrs. Kramp-Neuman does. I just wanted to follow up on that one issue.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
Shelby Kramp-Neuman Conservative Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Certainly. I'll follow up.
Certain segments of your website suggest that it starts with youth taking action and advocating. In part of the particular op-ed that you wrote, I understand, you spoke about the alarming increase in rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis amongst young girls between the ages of 15 and 19.
Now, that's speaking here nationally in Canada. Comparing that to underdeveloped countries, where are we at?
12:45 p.m.
Director, Policy, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
Again, with our health care system provisions, those numbers are lower in Canada than they are in many countries around the world, but broadly the same populations remain at risk.
Again, young people who lack access to comprehensive sexuality education that would inform them about the risks related to sexually transmitted diseases are less well prepared to navigate preventing these diseases. While Canada has numbers that are lower, due to our overall health care systems investments, it is the same populations, I would say, in countries around the world that remain at greatest risk.
Maybe this speaks back to the other point about data in terms of maternal mortality rates, but in Canada we see populations that have lower income and are less resourced and less able to navigate health care systems being the ones that are consistently lacking access to services, which prevents their ability to address things like STDs today.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
Shelby Kramp-Neuman Conservative Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Thanks so much. I have one last question.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
I'm afraid you're out of time, but that was a nice try.
We next go to MP Bendayan.
You have four minutes.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much for being here.
Clearly we're all looking at your website. I just want to confirm that on your website it says that Action Canada is “The Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada, Canadians for Choice, the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health, and Action Canada for Population and Development”, so you are all of those things.
12:45 p.m.
Director, Policy, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
Yes, we are the result of a merger of those organizations that took place in 2014.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Thank you for all the work you do in that context.
I was also reading one of your posts on the website, and something in particular caught my eye. I will quote from Action Canada's website:
An increasingly well-funded anti-abortion movement in the U.S.—and in Canada!—is chipping away at our rights, culminating in this horrific legal challenge that is now threatening to overturn Roe v. Wade....
It's not too far a stretch to imagine something similar happening in Canada too.
Earlier this year, 82 MPs voted to restrict abortion rights. 82 MPs = 24% of parliament!
I wonder if you could expand on that statement and perhaps on what leads you to be fearful that here in Canada we might see similar backsliding of our abortion and sexual and reproductive health rights.
12:45 p.m.
Director, Policy, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
Organizations like the Association for Women's Rights in Development, through the “Rights at Risk” report they produce annually, as well as the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, have done an excellent job of tracking financial investments that are going into organizations that are doing active work, either legal work or public advocacy, to undermine access to these rights. There is interesting data there, which I am happy to share, that shows the increase in those financial flows, which leads us to be concerned that there is a growing organized movement in opposition to these rights. All of you have probably also heard of the Geneva Consensus and the conversation that exists there among a number of states in opposition to SRHR.
I think our interest is ensuring that democratically aligned states and organizations, which understand that these are not only health care services but fundamental human rights, are clear and united in our advocacy to ensure the protection of the use of rights and services.
12:50 p.m.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Thank you for offering to share those figures with us. Could you please table them with our committee?
As well, given what you're seeing happening in Italy, with an increase in a movement to restrict abortion rights, and what has already passed in Poland, are you concerned about any other countries following this trend?
12:50 p.m.
Director, Policy, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
I wouldn't name any countries in particular. I think that at the same time as we are recognizing the risk of backsliding, as was noted by a previous witness, we've also seen a significant amount of progress in legalizing access to abortion and withdrawing restrictions that exist. I think there is always a push-and-pull of progress versus risk, but I wouldn't say that there's any country in particular that we're following at this point.
12:50 p.m.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Thank you very much for the work you do here in Canada.
Perhaps just to close, is there anything that you feel the Canadian government can do in order to advocate more strongly on this issue?
12:50 p.m.
Director, Policy, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
I think it is about continuing to be present in those international spaces. The high-level political forum of the SDGs that was mentioned earlier is also an excellent opportunity for Canada to demonstrate where we are doing well and where we can do better on this at home as a kind of indication of what good progress looks like. Canada has very strong legal protections for abortion. Recognizing abortion as health care is in fact one of the best ways to ensure and protect that right. So using that as a way to share—
12:50 p.m.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Are you concerned about any legislation that has been tabled or any private members' bills that have been tabled?
12:50 p.m.
Director, Policy, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
Yes. Our opinion has always been that we do not need further legislation to protect those rights in Canada and that introducing legislation around abortion presents a high risk of, in fact, closing access as opposed to increasing it.
12:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
No, you do not, I'm afraid.
We now go to Mr. Bergeron.
You have two minutes, sir.
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Montarville, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you again, Ms. Bowden, for being with us today.
Representatives from Global Affairs Canada said:
Over the past decade, Canada has been recognized as a global leader in supporting the health and rights of women, children and youth.
I am not trying to trick you with my question. I am genuinely seeking your views on this statement, which may sound a somewhat bombastic.
Do you agree with this statement? If so, why and how is he a world leader? If not, what more can he do?
12:50 p.m.
Director, Policy, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
I think that Canada has taken many positive steps, from the introduction of the Muskoka program to the introduction of the 10-year commitment that we currently have. The FIAP—the feminist international assistance policy—has also been a huge policy piece whereby Canada has been able to very clearly carve out what taking an integrated and feminist approach to international assistance looks like. I think those investments and that policy framing have put Canada forward as a significant leader in this sphere.
Where I will say we are at risk is that we have stepped forward to say that what our current commitments will do is take that progress further to ensure that it is a rights-based and comprehensive approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and we continue to not see the investment in those neglected areas.
I think the proof will be in the pudding in the next two years as to whether Canada can scale up investment in those areas to ensure that we can continue to deliver on the ever-progressing leadership that we can be taking in the world.