The Liberal Party of Canada wants provinces like P.E.I. that limit access to abortion to be denied federal transfers.
The party passed a resolution during its biennial convention last weekend to financially penalize provinces that do not "ensure complete access to (abortion) services or that do not pay for women’s access to this procedure."
The resolution was put forward by the National Liberal Women’s Commission as its No. 1 priority.
Mary Pynenburg, president of the commission, says she and several others on her executive were surprised to learn there was a province that does not provide any abortion services. That’s why they decided to make it their top priority.
The resolution, which was voted on and passed by the Liberal delegates at the convention, states abortion is guaranteed under the Canada Health Act.
“Complete access to reproductive health services saves women’s lives and protects their health, thereby making these services an integral part of women’s overall health care,” the resolution states.
Pynenburg was critical of recent statements by Liberal Premier Robert Ghiz that P.E.I.’s lack of abortion services will remain status quo.
“I’m disappointed by that stance because if one of us is not equal then none of us are equal, that’s what equality is all about,” she said in an interview.
“The women of Prince Edward Island deserve the same level of service as the rest of women in Canada.”
The province does pay the cost of some abortions off-Island, but only for those women who receive a doctor’s referral if the procedure is done in a hospital.
The closest hospital that provides abortions is in Halifax. Women can get abortions without a doctor referral in a private clinic, but government will not fund private clinic abortions. The closest clinic is in Fredericton.
Pynenburg was also critical that none of these travel expenses are covered by the province.
“It’s hard for women across Canada to understand this, because in this day and age it just doesn’t seem right,” she said.
The commission will be consulting with federal Liberal health critic Hedy Fry to raise this issue with the federal government and lobby for P.E.I. to be financially penalized for failing to provide access to abortion services.
This would not be the first time a province was denied transfer money over abortion services. When the Liberals were in power in Ottawa, former health minister Allan Rock withheld hundreds of thousands of dollars from Nova Scotia for failing to provide funding for private clinic abortions about 10 years ago.
P.E.I. Health Minister Doug Currie told The Guardian he would comment on this resolution passed by his party later this week.
