Madam Speaker, Conservatives have shown they cannot be trusted to defend a woman's right to choose, nor can they be trusted to move forward toward more equity in health care for women and diverse genders. We saw this very recently when they voted against the NDP pharmacare bill that included access to free contraceptives. New Democrats will fight every day against regressive Conservatives and their hidden agenda to restrict women's access to life-saving health care.
I will now go back to the report on what Canada needs to continue to do to protect sexual and reproductive rights across the globe. Canada needs to “speak out clearly and consistently in global forums and bilateral discussions” on sexual and reproductive rights for women, and the government must release the “long-promised feminist foreign policy” that my colleague, the member from Edmonton Strathcona, referenced. Having a clear written document is important because, as she referenced, it sets out feminist policy guidelines, not just for international development but also for trade, immigration, diplomacy and consulate affairs work.
Canada can be a leader, a beacon of hope at a time when there is push-back on gender equality and the rights of women, diverse genders and girls. If the government does the work now to protect women's rights, more Canadian women and women across the globe will be safer.
Multiple witnesses in the study stressed to the committee that legal restrictions on abortion do not stop abortions from happening. Instead, these restrictions increase the proportion of abortions that are unsafe. Julia Anderson, one of the witnesses, stated the following: “The evidence is unanimous and clear that the restriction of abortion does not stop abortion; it only increases unsafe abortion, and it loses women's lives.”
Why is Canada not investing in abortion access here at home and abroad? The reality is that, despite what is known about the consequences of unsafe abortion, Canada allocated only less than $2 million in support of safe abortion services. Kelly Bowden, a witness in the study, noted that while the Government of Canada is naming access to safe abortions as part of a comprehensive package of care, it is not putting the money in that area just yet.
I will close out today by highlighting recommendation 9 from the report, which recommends Canada “scales-up its assistance for sexual and reproductive health and rights globally, the Government of Canada ensure it is fully supporting access to modern forms of contraception, safe and legal abortion services, and post-abortion care.” Canada must do this here, at home, just south of the border and across the globe.