On Tuesday, May 7, Arnold Viersen, Conservative MP for Peace River-Westlock, AB, introduced a petition into the House of Commons calling for greater protection for the “preborn.”
Such protections would create barriers for women and gender-diverse people seeking to receive abortions, a procedure that is protected under the Canada Health Act.
The introduction of this petition reignited the debate about whether the Conservative Party of Canada can be trusted not to interfere with the right to access abortion procedures.
NDP MP Leah Gazan said that Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre could not be trusted to protect reproductive rights.
“He pretends that he is pro-choice and he vows he would never pass legislation that would restrict abortions, but I have some truths to tell you today,” said Gazan in a social media post this week. “A number of his caucus members are openly anti-choice, and one of them re-introduced a bill that would re-open the debate on whether abortions should be legal.”
The bill Gazan referred to in her statement was put forward in January of 2023 by Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall which would have provided for stiffer penalties for those who harm pregnant individuals and their fetuses.
READ MORE: Private members’ bill could re-open abortion debate
Wagantall has introduced three bills since 2016 that have attempted to put some level of restriction on access to abortion, but so far, none have passed the House of Commons.
Poilievre’s actions speak louder than words on abortion
While Poilievre has pledged not to introduce anti-choice legislation, he has not prevented members of his party, like Wagantall from doing so and has allowed his members to “vote their conscience,” on these bills.
Poilievre was also noticeably silent last summer when the US Supreme Court overturned their landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which had protected access to abortion in that country for 50 years. That move sparked outrage across North America, both in Canada and the US.
READ MORE: The inconvenient anti-choice record of ‘pro-choice’ Pierre Poilievre
Joyce Arthur, executive director and founder of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) said that this latest petition shows how a Conservative government would pose a threat to human rights like the right to abortion.
“It reveals the ever-present danger that any Conservative government poses to the human rights of women and gender-expansive people who can get pregnant. While MPs have wide latitude in the types of petitions they can sponsor, it is only Conservative MPs that continually abuse the e-petition process by sponsoring petitions that seek to remove fundamental human rights from Canadians,” Arthur said to rabble.ca.
Arthur explained that while she did not believe that Poilievre, if he became prime minister, would directly legislate against access to abortion, that he may instead introduce other restrictions on access to reproductive health.
“If party leader Pierre Poilievre wins election, I don’t think he would attempt to legislate on abortion but other things he would likely do include: cancel all sexual and reproductive health and rights funding both domestic and foreign, allow private member bills against abortion with a free vote, restore Canada Summer Jobs funding to anti-choice groups, protect the charitable tax status of anti-choice charities, and erode abortion access by refusing to enforce the Canada Health Act,” Arthur explained.
Abortion rights must be continually defended
Arthur said that the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the US was disturbing and the anti-choice movement in Canada took encouragement from it.
“Canada’s anti-choice movement definitely looks to their US counterparts for inspiration, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade has encouraged right-wing actors around the globe. Sexual and reproductive rights are prime targets, and that includes gender identity and 2SLBGTQIA+ rights,” Arthur said.
Over the past year, conservative premiers in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Alberta have introduced restrictions aimed at the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, specifically, transgender youth.
READ MORE: Rainbow Week of Action to push back on rising 2SLGBTQIA+ hate
While there are some variations between these restrictions, they all require trangender youth to receive parental or guardian permission before being allowed to use their correct pronouns in schools.
Conservative groups like the anti-choice Campaign Life Coalition celebrated these new restrictions, and saw them as an opportunity to not just oppress 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, but also to advance their anti-choice agenda.
In a post on their website from this past February, the Campaign Life Coalition called on Alberta premier Danielle Smith to extend the requirement that minors get permission to have their correct pronouns be used, to also require them to get parental consent to have an abortion.
“Our political system here is quite different than the US, but what’s happening south of the border reminds us that our rights are never safe and must be constantly defended,” said Arthur.
Arthur said that ARCC is continuing its work to pressure the federal government to protect access to abortion and to withdraw support from non-profit groups that seek to undermine this fundamental right.
“We also are trying to restrict inaccurate anti-choice advertising and graphic images of alleged aborted fetuses, which should not be tolerated in public because they cause harm to communities, and represent attacks on our Charter rights and a misogynist targeting of women and their humanity,” said Arthur.
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Nick Seebruch, editor
