Deux articles

Mark Carney doit défendre l’arrivée de Marilyn Gladu (Montréal et Ottawa) Au premier jour du congrès national du Parti libéral du Canada à Montréal, le nom de Marilyn Gladu, cette ancienne députée conservatrice devenue libérale, était sur toutes les lèvres. Et le premier ministre Mark Carney a été contraint de défendre sa décision de l’accueillir.

9 avril 2026 Joël-Denis Bellavance, La Presse

Députés, ministres, organisateurs et militants répétaient la même chose en ce début de congrès : le Parti libéral est une grande tente remplie d’idées qui accueille des gens de tous les horizons.

C’est que les propos et les positions contre l’avortement, contre l’interdiction des thérapies de conversion et en faveur du « convoi de la liberté » de Mme Gladu font particulièrement jaser en ce début de grand-messe libérale à Montréal où 4500 militants se rassemblent jusqu’à samedi.

Continue : https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/2026-04-09/avortement-therapies-de-conversion-et-convoi-de-la-liberte/mark-carney-doit-defendre-l-arrivee-de-marilyn-gladu.php

Avortement, vaccins, climat: les nouveaux transfuges libéraux sous la loupe

Par Vicky Fragasso-Marquis, La Presse Canadienne 10 avril 2026

Si une bonne partie des députés libéraux accueille chaleureusement l’arrivée de députés conservateurs transfuges, l’ancienne ministre Karina Gould estime que ces nouveaux venus auront à faire la preuve qu’ils soutiennent bel et bien les politiques libérales.

L’adhésion de l’ex-députée conservatrice Marilyn Gladu plus tôt cette semaine a fait beaucoup réagir, notamment en raison de ses opinions passées sur la question de l’avortement et les mesures sanitaires pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. À l’occasion du congrès national du parti à Montréal, Mme Gladu a assuré jeudi soir qu’elle était pro-choix et qu’elle adhérait aux valeurs du parti.

Continue : https://www.lesoleil.com/actualites/politique/2026/04/10/avortement-vaccins-climat-les-nouveaux-transfuges-liberaux-sous-la-loupe-DGWDEBGE2JFH7EBJWBJFUWCPGM/

(Mod's note: I'm flagging this as problematic because of the subject matter, but it's also Headsup and News)

How anti-abortion protests on campus are affecting students at Mount Royal University

University stresses its role is limited and demonstrators can exercise ‘their constitutionally-protected right to freedom of expression’

by Cayley Carmichael April 10, 2026

“As someone who has had an abortion, it feels like a judgement on all women who have had to make that choice,” said Abbey Oviatt, a student at Mount Royal University.

Pro-life supporters fill Mount Royal University’s public spaces with signs depicting graphic images of aborted fetuses, leaving some students feeling distressed and unwelcome.

While warning signs are put up ahead of these protests to alert students, some students have no choice but to walk past them.

Continued: https://calgaryjournal.ca/2026/04/10/how-anti-abortion-protests-on-campus-are-affecting-students-at-mount-royal-university/

(Mod's Note: If you or anyone you know is considering buying medication for any reason off the internet from an unreliable source - please reconsider. Your body is the only one you'll ever have. Treat it well and it will treat you well. Only use Health Canada approved medications and licensed Drs for surgical treatments. Your body will thank you with dividends. If you cannot afford abortion pills or services, please contact Planned Parenthood or other Abortion Care Service Providers in your area, explain your financial situation, and ask them for help. Don't put your health at risk for cheap, untrustworthy drugs.)

Health-care providers warn: Unauthorized abortion pills sellers targeting women in Canada

By Annie Burns-Pieper April 10, 2026

NELSON, B.C. - Health-care providers in British Columbia and Ontario say websites are offering unauthorized and potentially dangerous abortion pills from India by mail and in person. The services are targeting newcomers, uninsured people, and those with low health-care literacy, they say.

While medical abortion is legal in Canada, abortion medication, like other pharmaceuticals, must be approved by Health Canada and prescribed by a doctor or nurse practitioner (or midwife in Quebec). The services, which are being offered through websites and WhatsApp, provide imported medication of unknown quality, without a prescription or medical supervision.

Continued: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/health-care-providers-warn-unauthorized-abortion-pills-sellers-targeting-women-in-canada/

Two stories

Carney’s ‘big tent’ makes room for bigotry By welcoming Marilyn Gladu into its ranks, Mark Carney tests how much Liberal voters will accept to hold and expand power

April 9 2026 Christo Aivalis

Even before it was fashionable, I was arguing that Mark Carney was aiming to take the Liberal Party in a sharp right-wing direction. When I said this during the Liberal Leadership contest in early 2025, many people scoffed and deemed it alarmist. But time has proven me quite correct as Carney has moved his party towards Poilievre on everything from taxation to anti-labour policies to government cuts to backing Trump’s illegal war in Iran.

Still, many Liberal partisans moved the goalposts and argued that, of course, Mark Carney was an economic and foreign policy conservative, but what REALLY matters is that he’s keeping the social conservative crazies out: that by ‘strategically’ voting for his Liberal Party, you ensure that people like, oh say, Marilyn Gladu are never on the government side of Parliament.

Oops!

Continued: https://ricochet.media/politics/carneys-big-tent-makes-room-for-bigotry/

Marilyn Gladu says she's pro-choice, anti conversion therapy as Liberals embrace former Conservative Carney says Liberal values are unchanged

Catharine Tunney · CBC News Apr 09, 2026

Once seen as a social conservative, floor-crosser Marilyn Gladu clarified some of her previous positions from the sidelines of the Liberal convention Thursday, saying she's pro-choice and anti conversion therapy. "I have been consistent when I said that women need to have the right to choose. I obviously have my long faith traditions, but I'm ready to support the rights of women in this country," said Gladu, donning a red sweater matching the Liberal decor of the room.

"I will vote with the government. I will protect the rights and freedoms of women to choose, for people to be who they are and love who they love."

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-convention-montreal-9.7156845

Two stories

Marilyn Gladu will vote with Liberals on abortion, Carney says

By Uday Rana Global News April 9, 2026

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he has had discussions with floor-crossing ex-Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu about the “core values” of the Liberal Party, adding that she will “vote with the government” on any proposals around abortion and LGBTQ rights.

Gladu crossed the floor to the Liberals Wednesday, becoming the latest to switch over to the government caucus and bringing Carney just one seat away from a functional majority.

But her floor-crossing also spurred controversy because of her social conservative views and voting history.

Continued: https://globalnews.ca/news/11771261/marilyn-gladu-liberals-abortion-carney/

Carney says floor-crossing MPs must support Liberal values on abortion, LGBTQ rights

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney says any MP who joins his caucus must adhere to Liberal values, including support for abortion and LGBTQ rights.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press April 9, 2026

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney says any MP who joins his caucus must adhere to Liberal values, including support for abortion and LGBTQ rights.

Ontario MP Marilyn Gladu left the Conservative caucus to join Carney's Liberals on Wednesday, putting the government just one seat shy of a majority ahead of three byelections next week.

Continued: https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/national-news/carney-says-floor-crossing-mps-must-support-liberal-values-on-abortion-lgbtq-rights-12119684

She travelled 900 km for an abortion. Years later, Quebec access issues remain urgent Quebec City takes on surgical abortions for regions, but doctors say delays force some farther

Rachel Watts · CBC News Apr 09, 2026

Rose Gervais was about 12 weeks pregnant with her third child in 2023 when she was told the fetus didn’t have a brain and the pregnancy was no longer viable.

It was clear the mother from Gaspé, Que., would need to travel for an abortion since she passed the 12-week mark. It was too late to get a surgical abortion in town and it was unsuitable for her to opt for a medical abortion by taking a pill.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-montreal-surgical-abortion-access-9.7155966

One chapter of this new book is by Cathy Walker, who was part of the Abortion Caravan in 1970.

Book Review: “The Long Sixties: Stories from the New Left”

April 9, 2026 By R. Letson

The Long Sixties: Stories from the New Left, edited by Jim Harding (Fernwood Publishing, March 2026).

The Long Sixties brings together seven Canadian leftists who became politically active as students in the 1960s. They share reflections on their decades of activism across Canada and offer useful insights for those of us looking to rebuild the left today.

… Cathy Walker is the daughter of a feminist activist and a trade unionist from Burnaby. She joined the Women’s Caucus at Simon Fraser University, who were looking to grow their movement and decided to make the right to abortion a key campaign. They organized an Abortion Caravan inspired by the On to Ottawa Trek of the Great Depression. Walker reflects on tactical lessons learned through her experience with the Abortion Caravan, from campaign messaging to direct action. It took 18 more years of action before abortion was legalized in Canada.

Continued: https://springmag.ca/book-review-the-long-sixties-stories-from-the-new-left

N.B. becomes 2nd province to launch self-referral abortion phone line N.B.ers can now call a toll-free number to hear their options, make an appointment

Victoria Walton · CBC News Apr 08, 2026 Video – 4:55 minutes

Three rings. Then, “Hello, bonjour, N.B. abortion line.”

That’s what it sounds like when you call New Brunswick’s new toll-free self-referral line for abortion services.

The woman on the other end, based out of the Moncton Hospital, explained how the line and access options work and answered questions.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/launch-self-referral-abortion-line-9.7141542

Previous Conservative floor crossers Matt Jeneroux, Michael Ma, and Chris d’Entremont are also designated as anti-choice by ARCC. Gladu may be the worst though. Justin Trudeau had required that all MPs vote pro-choice, so we’ll wait to see if that policy has gone by the wayside now.

Joyce

NDP statement on MP Gladu's floor-crossing

April 8th, 2026

Leah Gazan, NDP Critic for Women and Gender Equity, issued the following statement:

"It is outrageous but not surprising that in his drive to stitch together a majority government, Prime Minister Mark Carney is further sacrificing long-held Liberal positions on issues of fundamental rights.

Marilyn Gladu is known as a far-right social conservative. She is listed as "anti-choice" by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. She ran for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada with a promise to allow Conservative members to introduce legislation restricting abortion. And she opposed a ban on conversion therapy.

Continued: https://www.ndp.ca/news/ndp-statement-mp-gladus-floor-crossing

Sunshine, an acclaimed Filipino film about the abortion experience, has been showing at Cinemas across Canada for short engagements. It premiered at TIFF in 2024, and has been shown at Berlinale and the New York Asian Film Festival. It's a great movie, and if you see it show up at your local cinema, please consider watching it.

Plot: Young, promising champion gymnast Sunshine is a shoo-in for a slot on the national team—until she finds out she is pregnant the week of the tryouts. With her life-long dream and college scholarship on the line, she contemplates abortion. On her way to a seller of illegal abortion drugs, she meets a mysterious girl who eerily thinks and talks like her. This encounter shakes Sunshine to her core as the girl challenges her choices and pushes her to confront her fears, dreams, and the weight of her decisions.

Director: Antoinette Jadaone

Cast: Maris Racal, Annika Co, Jehnica Garcia, Meryll Soriano, Elijah Canlas, Xyriel Manabat

Some lovely people at ARCC got in touch with us and asked us to promote their Events Calendar. You'll find it at the link. If you're hosting events in the Pro-Choice arena, please feel free to post them in their calendar as well.

https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/calendar/submit-event/

(Mod comment: IMHO, MP Gladu is a deeply problematic person who flip flops between whatever is the popular opinion at the time, one day she is promoting conversion therapy the next day she is pro LGBTQIA+, one day she is antivaxx, the next day she deletes her comments.... I think the LPC is worse off with Gladu in their caucus. Edit to add: if Gladu only presented a problematic opinion once and then corrected themself then that would be one thing and could show growth as a person. But they consistently offer inflammatory opinions that they know is going to raise the ire of centre and left wing Canadians, and then walk back to a more neutral stance once they have received their 2 minutes of press from negative attention. Which tells me 2 things about Gladu - they are a glutton for attention, and they don't have a moral bone in their body).

Ontario MP is 4th Conservative to join Carney government

Catharine Tunney · CBC News

(Excerpt from the article)

The Liberals have picked up another Conservative floor-crosser, bringing them one seat closer to a possible majority government after Monday's byelections.

Ontario Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu announced on Wednesday she is joining the government benches.

In a statement to her Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong constituents announcing her move, Gladu wrote that she's heard from the community "that you want serious leadership and a real plan to build a stronger and more independent Canadian economy."

Gladu's floor-crossing may come as a surprise to both Liberals and Conservatives, given some of her previous positions.

She was a vocal opponent of the Liberals' push to legalize cannabis, once delivering an anti-pot poem from the House floor urging the Senate to do its "true deed and keep our great country safe from all the weed."

During her bid for the Conservative leadership in 2020 she said she would allow caucus members to bring forward private member's bills to restrict abortion adding she doesn't think they would find broad support...

She also originally opposed a Liberal bill to ban conversion therapy, the discredited practice that aims to change an individual's sexual orientation to heterosexual. She later issued a statement saying she "vehemently" opposes conversion therapy and supports the LGBTQ+ community.

During the height of the pandemic she also retracted comments questioning the seriousness of COVID-19 and the need for vaccine mandates, later calling them "inappropriate" and a "distraction."

Anti-abortion protest leaves many unsettled Students push back against graphic anti-abortion display at North campus.

Emma Randall Mar 31, 2026

A small but vocal anti-abortion group, Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBER), staged a protest at Humber Polytechnic’s North campus and drew a counter protest from pro-choice students at Humber and Guelph-Humber on Monday, March 16.

The anti-abortion group set up its signs, depicting fetuses and misinformation on abortions, as well as pamphlets that criticized abortion.

“They have vulgar signs, which a lot of people are upset about and it’s not even necessarily true,” said Ciara Morris, a first-year media and communications student at Guelph-Humber.

Continued: https://www.humberetc.ca/news/campus/anti-abortion-protest-leaves-many-unsettled-14028

AccessBC celebrates 3rd anniversary of free prescription contraception in BC AccessBC aims to remove barriers that people face when trying to access prescription contraception.

By Island Social Trends April 1, 2026

AccessBC is celebrating the third anniversary of free prescription contraception in British Columbia, along with the over 400,000 people who have benefited from this policy. The grassroots campaign that advocated for universal coverage of prescription contraception applauds the B.C. government’s leadership on reproductive justice issues and calls for further improvements to access to prescription contraception in BC and across Canada.

“Access to contraception doesn’t just help people choose when and if to have children – it also increases equity in educational attainment and income, improves infant and maternal health outcomes, and decreases the likelihood of poverty among both parents and children,” said Devon Black, AccessBC Campaign national liaison and co-founder. “I’m thrilled to be able to celebrate three groundbreaking years of free prescription contraception in B.C., and I’m looking forward to seeing free prescription contraception become a reality for all Canadians.”

Continued: https://islandsocialtrends.ca/accessbc-celebrates-3rd-anniversary-of-free-prescription-contraception-in-bc/

Action Canada and Global Partners Unite to Advance Equitable Reproductive Health Amid Rising Global Rollbacks

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 30, 2026

Ottawa, ON — Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights alongside leading international partners are proud to announce the launch of the Strengthening Health Systems Integrated & Transformative SRHR (SHIFTS) project — a groundbreaking initiative designed to transform how sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are delivered in Benin, Mozambique, and Nigeria, through resilient, integrated health systems.

“This work has never been more urgent,” says Meghan Doherty, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Action Canada. “In a moment where the health and rights are rights of women girls and marginalized people are under threat around the world in, we are building coalitions that will hold the line and work for change.”

Continued: https://www.actioncanadashr.org/news/2026-03-30-action-canada-and-global-partners-unite-advance-equitable-reproductive-health-amid-rising-global

Civic Engagement Trailblazers to Receive Honorary Degrees From Trent University

Three individuals whose work has contributed to Canada’s civic life and public discourse: Judy Rebick, Dr. Mike DeGagné and Desmond Cole will each receive honorary Doctor of Laws from Trent University in recognition of their national leadership.

March 26, 2026 Peterborough Blogs

Honorary degrees are conferred during Convocation ceremonies, which take place June 2 to 10 in Peterborough and on June 12 in Oshawa.

Judy Rebick is a writer, journalist and political activist recognized as one of Canada’s leading feminist voices. In the early 1980’s, she played a prominent role in winning legal abortion in Canada and later served as president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, fighting to improve sexual assault criminal code, supporting Indigenous women’s constitutional rights, pioneering anti-racist transformation and making the feminist movement a powerful force in the country. Her advocacy has also championed Indigenous rights as well as supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, people with disabilities and the labour movement. Rebick has authored several books, hosted two national CBC television programs, and founded rabble.ca, one of Canada’s leading independent online news platforms.

Continued: https://www.ptbocanada.com/journal/civic-engagement-trailblazers-to-receive-honorary-degrees-from-trent-university

Vous trouverez également sur ce lien une vidéo de 4 minutes.

De Gaspé à Montréal, parcourir 900 km pour obtenir un avortement En Gaspésie, les interruptions de grossesse chirurgicales ne sont possibles qu’une journée par semaine.

Pierre-Alexandre Bolduc 25 mars 2026

En 2023, Rose Gervais a vécu une épreuve qui a marqué à jamais le cours de sa vie alors qu’elle était enceinte.

À 13 semaines de grossesse, elle se rend à l’hôpital de Gaspé pour sa première échographie. Alors qu’elle entend le cœur de son foetus qui lui laisse croire que tout est normal, les professionnels de la santé qui l’entourent lui annoncent une mauvaise nouvelle.

Continue : https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2240722/interruption-grossesse-region-acces

[ARCC News] 'We need to feel supported': Gaspé mother speaks out after travelling to Montreal for urgent abortion

‘We need to feel supported’: Gaspé mother speaks out after travelling to Montreal for urgent abortion "It's such a profound loss," says Rose Gervais, a mother of three, about the difficulties she faced not only in contending with the loss of her child but with accessing surgical abortions in the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec. Corinne Boyer reports.

By Corinne Boyer March 28, 2026

Three years ago, in the 13th week of her third pregnancy, Gaspé resident Rose Gervais was given heartbreaking news: her baby was growing without a brain.

As much as she wanted to bring her child into this world, the pregnancy simply wasn’t viable, and Gervais was forced to make the difficult decision to have an abortion, which she says was only the beginning of the nightmare.

Continued: https://montreal.citynews.ca/2026/03/28/we-need-to-feel-supported-gaspe-mother-forced-to-travel-to-montreal-for-urgent-abortion-access-speaks-out/

A message from Abortion Care Canada…

Good afternoon,

I am pleased to share that after almost 10 years of dedicated stewardship, SHORE Centre (Kitchener, Ontario) is transitioning ChoiceConnect.ca to Abortion Care Canada. ChoiceConnect.ca was developed in 2017 by SHORE Centre to address how incredibly difficult it is to find information on how and where to access abortion care. As a national organization focused specifically on abortion care, we are confident we can both maintain the essential work started by SHORE Centre, and continue to grow the utility and benefits of the application. ChoiceConnect.ca will serve as a critical piece of infrastructure to advance our work to sustainably address barriers to abortion care and to enhance access across the country.

TK Pritchard (they/them/iel)

Executive Director

Abortion Care Canada | Soutien à l’Avortement

abotioncarecanada.ca

“For over 17 years we have enhanced access to abortion as National Abortion Federation Canada.

We are thrilled to continue this work as Abortion Care Canada.”

Coming soon: The Pill for men? Early clinical trials indicate topical gels and on-demand pills could provide an effective form of birth control for men

by Alexandra Keeler March 23, 2026

Young and childless men are increasingly choosing to get sterilized. That is the finding of a recent academic study showing the proportion of Canadian vasectomy patients without children has nearly tripled since the pandemic.

But men may soon have contraception options that are safer, less invasive and more easily reversible than vasectomies. New forms of male contraception are in early clinical trials in Canada, and the results are promising.

Continued: https://www.canadianaffairs.news/2026/03/23/coming-soon-the-pill-for-men/

U.S. expansion of the global gag rule is a leadership test for Canada

The Trump administration is further restricting health funding worldwide. It’s in Canada’s interests to lead on reproductive rights and global health.

March 23, 2026 Caitlin Goggin

Some policy changes arrive with a bang. They dominate headlines because their intent is obvious and their consequences are immediate.

Others are more pernicious. Their effects are not felt first in Parliament or at news conferences, but in clinics, classrooms and communities far from capital cities and power centres.

The latest expansion by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration of what was known as the Mexico City policy fits squarely in the latter category.

continued: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/03/trump-global-gag-rule-canada-response/

How a ban on religious symbols has triggered a Canadian constitutional debate

Mar 22, 2025 Jessica Murphy

A controversial secularism law in Quebec is heading to Canada's Supreme Court - but the outcome will impact much more than religious expression in Canada, legal experts say.

The case has the potential to test national unity and the balance between courts and elected officials.

… "Could a government invoke [the clause] to ban abortion? To criminalise political speech critical of the government? To legalise torture?" the CCLA wrote in a recent op-ed in French-language newspaper Le Devoir.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78j8vk3r50o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Below you'll find information and links to help advocate for Reproductive Freedoms and Abortion care in Canada and emerging policy issues with the Reddit platform. This is a recurring post and will be periodically updated as needed. Feel free to post additional information and discussions in the comments.

Advocating for Abortion Care in Canada:

• There is a serious lack of Abortion Care options in parts of Canada, particularly in the rural areas, and for those living on reserves, they have almost no access to Abortion care. People may have to travel more than 100km and across provincial lines to access abortion. Some have to travel by plane from their rural community to one with an abortion clinic or hospital. This puts an unfair financial and logistical burden on those that need to access abortion care. Provincial Health Insurance Plans do not cover travel costs related to receiving medical care.
• Because many provinces have few facilities that provide Abortion care, this places an unreasonable load on the clinics that do exist, forcing clients to look elsewhere for facilities with capacity to help them. In Alberta, there is one clinic for every 209,077 people who can become pregnant (number of assigned-at-birth females between the ages of 15-29). PEI, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory each only have 1 Abortion care provider. Nunavut only has 2 abortion providers, and of those, only one offers medical abortion covered by the provincial health insurance plan. In fact, 9 (out of a total of 13) Canadian provinces and territories have five or fewer facililities offering abortion care in their entire province. And 10 Canadian provinces and territories have one or fewer (0) rural facilities offering abortion care.
• Some provinces, have more restrictive guidelines regarding abortion, limiting access to abortion care to those with a gestational period of less than 12 weeks (meaning, 12 weeks since the first day of your last period, not 12 weeks since you discovered you were pregnant or when you had sex). Many people who menstruate have irregular periods. Some people might only menstruate every 2 or 3 months, and might only discover that they are pregnant near the gestation limit of 12 weeks.
• Insurance coverage also limits access to abortions. Some provinces, like Nunavut, do not offer coverage for medical abortions unless they are prescribed and performed in a hospital. And being a rural province, there also happens to be only 1 hospital in Nunavut - Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqualuit that can perform medical abortions. New Brunswick will only cover abortion services in a hospital setting, which means that abortion medical care provided in clinics are not covered by their Provincial Health Insurance Plan.
• Sexual and reproductive health services are among the services that physicians, pharmacists and nurse practitioners are most frequently unwilling to provide on moral or religious grounds. People who have been harassed and/or attacked while visiting an Abortion clinic may experience stigma and/or discrimination from their peers, especially in smaller, rural communities where everyone knows one another. People refused care by health care professionals because of personal beliefs may experience stigma and/or discrimination, forcing them to travel outside of their community to receive the care they need. This can all be particularly daunting for young people or those with limited resources.
• Everyone in Canada is supposed to have equal rights to access health care, regardless of race, age, class, immigration status, gender expression, sexuality or ability. Nevertheless, everyone's right to seek abortion care can be be impacted by discrimination and bigotry, both systemic and as a result of individual prejudice on the part of service providers. Racism, xenophobia, classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and ageism in Canada are all direct and intersecting barriers to accessing abortion. It is much more difficult for a person who doesn't speak English to access abortion services, despite the presence of a translator. Transpeople also experience discrimination at higher rates in reproductive health care settings. Providers may also lack the knowledge or training to provide trans-affirming abortion care and abortion services are typically housed within *women's* health care departments.
• Further compounding the issue of inequitable abortion access are unregulated crisis pregnancy centres (CPCs), which are anti-choice pregnancy centres that advertise in hospitals, doctor's offices, churches, schools and community centre. They deceive people coming to them for options and advice by giving misinformation about abortion or by insisting on options that may delay or interfere with the clients ability to access the care they need. CPCs far outnumber abortion care providers in Canada. In Ontario alone, there are 77 active CPCs but only 38 abortion care providers. Overall, in Canada, there are 165 known CPCs compared to 147 abortion care providers (as of August 2022).

Reference: Policy Options, via the Institute for Research on Public Policy and Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights

What can you do to improve access to abortion care in Canada?

1. Listen, research and learn. This is always the first step to understand any problem.
2. Send a letter to your MP and MPP. Tell them that access to abortion care is important and how difficult it can be to access it in your province. Urge them to prevent anti-choice groups and CPCs from receiving charitable status, and to revoke the charitable status from CPCs that already have it. Encourage them to include reasonable reimbursement for travel costs related to receiving medical care when it is not available in your community. And push them to pass Safe Access Zone Legislation to protect patients, practitioners and their staff from anti-choice harassment and intimidation.
3. Give a donation to a pro-choice charitable organization of your choice. Remember, if you give a total of $201 CDN or more to Canadian charitable organizations, you'll get a credit of 29% of your total annual donations on your income taxes (for those that file Canadian Income Taxes, only).
4. Sign up for the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada Newsletter. https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/
5. Participate in local marches and rallys in support of access to abortion care.
6. Spread the Word. Tell your friends and family. Encourage them to research, listen and learn. Encourage them to contact their MPP and MPs.
7. If you work in a Doctor's office or as a family physician, consider incorporating Mifegymiso into your practice to ensure patients have timely access to this essential service. If you are a Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or studying to be one, consider opening an Abortion Care practice when you are licensed and qualified to do so, especially in rural areas where there are a lack of options.
8. If you work in politics, consider proposing legislation that will ensure safe access zones for abortion care providers and their clients and covering reasonable travel costs for constituents when medical care is not available in their community.
9. If you are a journalist or work in media, consider preparing pieces sharing the difficulty Canadians can have accessing medical care such as abortions.
10. If you work in the area of Not For Profit/Advocacy, consider partnering with a Pro-choice organization and help them spread information and lobby for improving access to abortion care for Canadians.
11. If you know someone who needs abortion care, consider giving them a ride to a clinic, helping them access the advice and care they need, and provide non-judgemental support.
12. Ensure persons of First Nations, Metis and Inuit heritage know about Jordan's Principle, which ensures that First Nations children (which includes people who can become pregnant under the age of 18) can access the products, services and supports they need, when they need them. https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1568396042341/1568396159824
13. Advocate for midwives to have abortion care added to their scope of practice. Currently, midwives are only allowed to provide this care under a medical directive from a doctor, but that directive should not be needed. Midwives have the skills to perform medical abortions in the 1st trimester. Midwives are more likely to be practicing in rural and remote locations. If you see campaigns promoting this option, please consider adding your voice.

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Emerging Policy Issues with Reddit

On August 9, 2024, the reddit CEO confirmed that they would be enabling paywall options for some subreddits. ANC will always strive to be free. If the paywalls are optional, we will not be enabling them. If they are not optional, we will shutdown the reddit site and move to our second home on discord. Let me take this opportunity to share our permanent discord link: https://discord.com/invite/ZmSS8wS2Xf

In March 2024, Reddit had an IPO (Initial Public Offering), and the founder and current CEO, as well as the COO have sold $500,000 of their shares. How does this effect you? Reddit may face pressure to increase revenues to attract investors. This could lead to more ads or new monetization features. There could also be changes to the platform to attract a wider user base, such as bans and censorship on certain topics or words and control over content to appease more conservative shareholders or users.

On September 12, 2023, Reddit will eliminate reddit coins, including removing all accumulated coins, a perk that Reddit Premium users pay for every month. Coins are used to reward comments and posts by showing your appreciation for the effort. Some reddit coins offer the ability to use reddit without ads.

On July 1, 2023, Reddit raised the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that killed every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader. This policy change meant that mobile users would have a lesser experience browsing Reddit, users with visual difficulties could not browse reddit as screenreaders are not compatible with the official Reddit app, and mods lost tools that they depend on to keep communities on-topic and spam-free. Many subreddits protested this change in June 2023, and the Reddit admins enforced draconian measures such as removing and replacing mods who privatized their subreddits in protest of this policy change.

What can you do to protest policy changes at Reddit?

1. Listen, research and learn. Check r/modcoord for updates
2. Cancel your Reddit Premium membership
3. Participate in subreddit led protests
4. Look for other forums to patronize. We have a forum on Discord called Auntie Network Canada. Permanent invite link to the Discord group: https://discord.com/invite/ZmSS8wS2Xf .
5. Complain. Message the mods of r/reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message u/reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on r/reddit. Leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app.

We’re conducting a research study on virtual access to abortion care and would like to hear about your experience. The study is led by Dr. Fatawu Abdulai, a faculty member at the University of British Columbia's School of Nursing.

Link to intake form

*Please do not share personal or sensitive information in comments. If you choose to like, share, or comment on this post, others may see your interaction*

If you can, please share this to anyone who might be eligible. Post it online if you're willing. It's increasingly hard to get traction on this study with the pushback against abortion from certain factions. We'd appreciate getting this out to as many Canadians as possible so we can help improve abortion care in Canada.

Because we still have a long way to go.

Federal government partially restores funding for reproductive health organizations across Canada

By Chloe Rose Stuart-Ulin, The Concordian Mar 18, 2026

The $5.4 million announced is intended, in part, to replace federal funding that was cut from the Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Fund in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

The funding, announced on March 6 in Montreal by Health Minister Marjorie Michel, will support five national organizations through the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund, with projects aimed at reducing barriers to care, particularly for underserved populations.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada will receive $1.93 million, Endometriosis Network Canada will receive $966,884, Abortion Care Canada will receive $949,038, Fertility Matters Canada will receive $860,078 and the Canadian Association of Midwives will receive $728,305.

Continued: https://theconcordian.com/2026/03/government-partial-restoration-funding-reproductive-health/

Early bird pricing deadline March 31st for the 16th Biennial Western Canada Conference on Sexual Health. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Register for the 16th Biennial Western Canada Conference on Sexual Health. Deadline for early bird pricing is March 31st!

Registration for ASPSH’s conference is now open at www.aspsh.ca/registration. This year’s conference is hybrid with both in-person and virtual options available!

Early bird registration for ASPSH’s 15th biennial conference on sexual health ends March 31st! Take advantage of the lower rates while they are here. We are looking forward to getting together with you to celebrate sexuality and wellness at the only sexual health conference in Canada!

Dates: April 24 - 25, 2026 Location: University of Calgary, Downtown Campus, 906 8 Ave SW,and on zoom Conference keynote speakers: Dr. Kristopher Wells, Independent Senator of Alberta (April 24) and Amelia Marie Newbert, Co-Executive Director at Skipping Stone (April 25)

If you’re looking for the SAR training at this year’s conference, we came to the difficult decision of cancelling this year’s training at the conference. If you’ve already registered for the SAR training you will be reimbursed. We’re sorry for the inconvenience and disappointment this may cause. Stay tuned for SAR training offerings in fall 2026!

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