Canada has done well without any abortion law or restrictions since 1988, leaving abortion care under the same medical regulations as other healthcare. Indeed, abortion care follows the same pattern around the world regardless of law – people who want abortions have them as early as possible, while a small number of later abortions will always be needed for compelling social or medical reasons. Laws trying to regulate abortion are redundant and restrictions are harmful.
Abroad, Canada has a reputation as a socially liberal western democracy that guarantees reproductive rights and minority rights such as for gender expansive people. The Liberal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has a self-declared feminist foreign policy and has often spoken out in favour of abortion rights.
Yet, things are not as rosy in Canada as they may seem. We share a long border with the U.S. and are not immune to the extreme right-wing shift there, particularly the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. While Canadians enjoy a strong legal right to abortion, access to abortion care can be very difficult and anti-choice rhetoric has been increasing.
Like other countries, Canada implemented some public health measures in the first 2-3 years of the COVID 19 pandemic. These were generally well-tolerated, so most Canadians were shocked when the truckers’ “Freedom Convoy” arrived in Ottawa in 2022, shutting down our capital city in a protest against COVID vaccines and mandates. More accustomed to short peaceful protests, it took the police and government three weeks to crack down and clear the streets. But the protest emboldened various right-wing elements in our society and gave them a cause to rally around. Anti-choice groups joined in wholeheartedly, and Canada’s biggest anti-abortion news site became consumed with anti-COVID diatribes.
The pandemic helped fuel right-wing extremism, not just the growing misinformation on social media, but also by creating a breeding ground for violent extremism, according to the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) in a federal government report from the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security. The report noted the intertwined connections between Canadian and U.S. white supremacist, anti-government, and other hate movements; and the growing fascination with guns and militarization in Canada, which was attributed to U.S. influence.
Right-wing extremism always makes women’s rights and 2SLGBTQ+ rights a priority target for attack. We’ve been watching U.S. “red” states pass near-total bans on abortion and criminalize healthcare for transgender youth – two strongly connected issues. Canada is not immune, especially in provinces run by Conservative governments. In 2023, New Brunswick implemented a policy requiring schools to obtain parental consent before verbally using the chosen names and pronouns of students under 16, and Saskatchewan quickly followed with a similar law passed under the guise of “parental rights.” Next was Alberta, which plans to enact far-reaching new laws in fall 2024 that would prohibit teenagers under 18 from accessing gender reassignment surgery, and ban puberty blockers and hormone therapies for those under 16, among other restrictions on the rights of transgender youth.
The Conservative Party is home to all of Canada’s anti-choice Members of Parliament (MPs). Over the years, Conservatives have been responsible for most private member bills trying to restrict abortion. My hopes for a growing number of pro-choice Conservative MPs to help moderate the party were dashed in 2023 by private member Bill C-311, which was widely seen as a vehicle to advance fetal rights. The Conservative caucus voted unanimously in favour of the bill, including over a dozen “pro-choice” Conservative MPs. As a result, the entire caucus was then declared anti-choice by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. That decision was based not just on the vote, but also the rightward shift within the Conservative Party under its extremist leader Pierre Poilievre.
Given all the above, it appears that the virus of the “MAGA” cult in the U.S. has spread across the border to infect us here. Along with it came the tactics of misinformation, rage-farming (stoking anger and paranoia), and being anti-woke (against diversity and inclusion, and accepting bigotry).
These are grim observations, but we are in a strong position to counter these threats effectively by continuing what we’ve already been doing. The reproductive rights movement in Canada has been strong for decades, mobilizing quickly to counter any possible intrusion on our rights, such as defeating 10 anti-choice bills and motions since 2006, and stepping in to steer the Liberal government away from the misguided idea of passing a law to “enshrine” abortion rights, as such a law could too easily end up being weaponized against those rights. Our work over the last few decades also laid the groundwork for abortion being considered a constitutional right that even the Conservative Party promises not to touch.
An active and strategic movement is essential to keep and advance our rights, and there is no better example than the successes in Latin America. In recent years, Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico have decriminalized abortion or liberalized their laws. Those victories were the result of brilliant feminist strategizing and a lot of hard work. Numerous articles have been written about how U.S. activists can learn from the Latin American “green wave” (here’s one).
Let’s not forget that globally, the overall trend is to liberalize abortion laws. About 60 countries have eased their abortion laws since about 1990, with New Zealand, Thailand, and South Korea being other recent examples. Only four countries have further restricted abortion – the U.S., El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Poland. The Center for Reproductive Rights says: “The devastating regression on abortion rights in the United States makes the country a stark outlier to the global trend toward liberalization.”
But it’s not just about laws. Increasingly, abortion pills are going directly into the hands of people who need them. The revolution of safe, self-managed abortion means that pregnant people can bypass legal restrictions and gatekeepers. Of course, we still need doctors and clinics and better laws. But our priority must be to save lives and promote bodily autonomy. When laws obstruct those values, determined activists must step into the breach (as do Women Help Women, Women on Web, Abortion Without Borders, and Aid Access).
Reproductive rights must always be defended, given the relentless campaigns of the opposition. Lately it seems that anti-choice forces have become stronger by uniting with other movements against vaccines, gender expression, anti-racism, climate change action, and anything else progressive.
But there’s still lots to be inspired about. Think about Latin America’s “green wave” and the ongoing liberalization of abortion laws, the abortion pill revolution, the global pushback against the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the state ballot initiative victories in the U.S. on abortion rights – and most importantly, the unshakeable strength of our movements. Global solidarity is essential – we must win or expand on abortion rights in countries where it’s banned or restricted, and protect abortion rights and access in “safe” countries like Canada. The fight is never over but our energy will not flag. Disclosure: I am on the Board of Women Help Women.
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