Saskatchewan’s Conservative candidate Brad Trost said last week that he felt “proud” of denying funding to the International Planned Parenthood Federation, an organization promoting safe access to abortion worldwide. Prime minister Stephen Harper denies that any decision has been made about Planned Parenthood funding, but in the wake of Trost’s comments, local pro-choice advocates are asking voters to consider Harper’s track record of denying funding to organizations promoting women’s reproductive and sexual rights.
Since his 2006 election, Harper has also axed project funding to the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health, the Canadian arm of Planned Parenthood, forcing the organization to reduce staff size and thus support to member organizations.
Local Planned Parenthood organizations face tight budgets: The Halifax Sexual Health Centre doesn’t receive any Federal Funding, but still manages to provide a wide variety of services, such as STI testing, anonymous HIV treatment, sexuality counseling and abortion counseling and referrals.
Rural Planned Parenthood organizations aren’t so lucky, as budget restrictions force many organizations to scale back their services. Lunenburg’s Sexual Health Centre is shutting down part time this summer due to a lack of funds and lacks the resources to provide Pap tests, STI tests, birth control prescriptions and services requiring a doctor or nurse practitioner.
Katie Toth, a member of the local advocacy group Feminists for Reproductive Education and Equity, feels the Tories cuts to organizations supporting women’s reproductive rights are part of an “ideological attack.”
“Until this moment, the standing line was that it was an budget issue and it’s not an ideological issue,” says Toth. “But after hearing what Trost has said, it’s going to be really difficult for the Conservative government to maintain that stance.”
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2011.
I don’t think Harper is going to get his majority on Monday.
I could be wrong, but it doesn’t look likely at this time.
Jack Layton has long had better personal polling numbers than either Stephen Harper or Michael Ignatieff. Now his party’s poll numbers are catching up to his personal popularity as a leader Canadians feel they can trust. The NDP have vaulted from distant third place to a close second place merely 5% behind the Conservatives all in the space of a few weeks.
At the dissolution of Parliament it was a simple fact that a majority of Canadians didn’t want Stephen Harper as their Prime Minister. Judging by the polls (a risky thing I know) it seems that Harper has failed to convince Canadians to change their minds. Following the script outlined for him by former President Bush’s Republican advisers, Harper has embraced the politics of fear. His campaign has centered on the idea that a change in government would be dangerous for all kinds of reasons. Only Stephen Harper has the ability necessary to run a country, so he says. It doesn’t look like it’s working. I’ve said it before on this website. 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa is an awful long way from Crawford, Texas.
However the NDP’s vote count translates into actual seats in Parliament, the fact that the NDP has drawn support away from the Liberals, the Bloc and even the Conservatives should tell the pundits and backroom boys something. Canadians on the whole don’t seem to be embracing the Right’s agenda – stated or unstated. On the contrary, poll numbers indicate that large numbers of them appear to be rejecting a move to the Right.
Whatever happens on Monday, the next Parliament should be an interesting one.
Yes, Jack is more personable than Steven. All this means is Jack will give you a big smile while raising your taxes. I don’t give a shit about a leader’s personality or looks, I want someone to do something so I can live easier. Paying more taxes and cap & trade, etc will not make anyone’s life easier.
Weak men try to control womens sexuality because they are ascared of it……real man aint…a woman’s body is her own and any and all govt needs to keep its___ out of her bidness….
If govt is going to raise all the children born of rape and of reckless sexual practice and of people who have no business having kids…….then dont cry about making more prisons because unwanted kids do tend to end up overrepresented in all other govt agencies/systems/services/institutions….by stop funding planned parenthood govt is creating business for govt
How sad that in 2008 37.63% of voters shared Bro Tim’s primary motivation in life: making it easier. Forget what’s right. Forget what’s good for the world, for humanity, for those in real need. Let’s just those of us with money to begin with all live easier, care less, and do less.
Planned Parenthood is not a healthcare provider, pregnancy is not an illness.
Barrington Pothole, you’re frankly an idiot, and hopefully just trolling. PP is a healthcare provider – providing sexual health services is pretty important. Don’t want unplanned pregnancies that can lead to abortions? Then you want PP agencies educating people on how to prevent them. You also want them helping people look after their reproductive health so when they’re ready to have children they have healthy ones.