Madam Speaker, yesterday Clinic 554, the only provider of out-of-hospital abortion care and specialized trans health care services in New Brunswick, was forced to permanently close its doors due to the provincial government's refusal to repeal regulation 84-20. This regulation withholds medicare coverage from abortions performed in community-based clinics, and it has repeatedly been found by Health Canada to constitute a clear violation of the Canada Health Act.
The closure of Clinic 554 as a result of this policy also constitutes a clear and unjustifiable infringement on the charter rights of women and LGBTQ2IA+ people in the province. This is completely unacceptable. The Higgs government must immediately repeal regulation 84-20, and the federal government must continue to take the unprecedented actions necessary to protect and promote the right to choose and the rights of LGBTQ2IA+ people in the province.