(Montreal) With more than 72,000 signatures collected in a few days, Québec solidaire (QS) hopes that the petition demanding free access to contraception will make its way to the ears of the Legault government and that it will follow suit with this prevention measure that would save millions of dollars annually in managing unwanted pregnancies.
Posted at 1:43 p.m.
Quentin Dufranne
The Canadian Press
The petition launched by the Quebec Federation for Birth Planning (FQPN) asks the Quebec government to “establish a program of free access to all methods of contraception available in Quebec, without exception.”
Although a health insurance program including contraceptives already exists at the federal level, the MP for Mercier and responsible for the status of women, Ruba Ghazal, hopes that the province will be able to give itself the means to achieve its ambitions in terms of protecting women. women’s rights.
“We want the federal government to give us the money unconditionally so that Quebec can develop a program that meets its own needs,” the solidarity MP, who says she is worried about a potential rise to power, explained to The Canadian Press. conservatives.
“There are funds from the federal government that are available for Quebec and we should seek them out unconditionally before the Poilievre government arrives and finally decides that this is not a priority for it,” she explained. We know that in the Conservative Party of Canada, there are a large number of elected officials who are anti-women’s choice […] we must remain a shield against people who attack women’s rights. »
According to Ruba Ghazal, such a measure would cost $48 million per year and would save no less than $71 million by avoiding numerous unwanted pregnancies.
The QS proposal aims to be “broader than just contraception for women”, by covering all means of contraception in addition to free access to condoms.
Tens of thousands of signatures
For Ruba Ghazal, there is no doubt that the election of Donald Trump had a catalytic effect on the petition. The latter, which ends on November 25, has collected tens of thousands of signatures since the election of the Republican candidate to the White House on November 5.
There is a border between the United States and Canada, but we could also be very strongly contaminated by this anti-women’s choice movement. This certainly worries me a lot and I want the CAQ government to hear this concern and to have the same, because it is for the right to abortion.
Ruba Ghazal, MP for Mercier and responsible for the status of women
“It’s expensive, and with the cost of living, women aren’t able to make the right choices for themselves, so it’s in some ways an attack on their right not to make it accessible. »
Ruba Ghazal therefore invites the CAQ government to take inspiration from British Columbia, which became, in April 2023, the first province in Canada to offer contraception with free prescription.
Questioned on this subject, Minister Biron’s office explains that it wants to let “the petition progress until it is submitted to the National Assembly before commenting”.
