My wish is for all Canadian women, everywhere in the country, to have access to a program like the one Quebec has had since 1983. I sincerely hope that the conclusions of the consultations confirm what a positive measure the program has been for women in Quebec and how unfortunate it is that such a program has not been available to Canadian women since 1983.
Keeping clause 5 means that the government could not hold consultations and simply move on to something else. It means creating the framework so that the focus does not shift until the desired outcome is achieved.
The witnesses we heard from were clear. The need is clear. The purpose of the consultations is not to determine whether this is a good idea. The bill clearly gives every Canadian woman access to preventative withdrawal in relation to the health and safety of her pregnancy.
I don't understand the reason for removing the clause because all it does is keep the focus on the issue until the various recommendations are implemented. That's all the clause does.