Senators Support Calls to Ensure Access to Reproductive Rights

Home , Brent Cotter, Chantal Petitclerc, Colin Deacon, Frances Lankin, Howard Wetston, Judith Keating

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OTTAWA, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020— Over 30 years ago, the Supreme Court of Canada granted women the right to choose, without fear of prosecution. Yet, access to the reproductive rights conferred to women years ago by the highest court in the Land are still being restricted by provincial regulations and policies.

The story of Clinic 554 in Fredericton is one spanning over several decades. It is fraught with court challenges over repeated measures undertaken by a succession of governments in the Province to restrict women’s access to services. Clinic 554 has provided access to the reproductive rights for women for many years in order to counter the continued restrictions to access imposed by the Province. More recently, the Clinic further extended its services to the 2SLGBTQ community of the Province.

The closing of Clinic 554 would impair access to hard won Charter-protected rights. In recent past and in response to repeated concerns by affected New Brunswickers, the Federal government temporarily reduced Health and Transfer payments to New Brunswick.

We live in a Constitutional Democracy where all citizens are subject to the Rule of Law. Premiers are trustees of the Constitution and must ensure that the rights conferred by it and endorsed by the highest court in the Land can be accessed fully. Personal opinions on a court decision matter not. Rights without the means to enforce them are meaningless. The adoption of restrictive measures with the sole aim of limiting access to service should not be tolerated.

Finally, Senators should have their voices heard in situations where the curtailment of the exercise of the rights of citizens by any Canadian jurisdiction leads to a continual denial of those rights. In a Constitutional Democracy such as ours, the substance and intent of Supreme Court decisions must be respected and applied.

The Honourable Margaret Dawn Anderson, Senator The Honourable Frances Lankin, Senator The Honourable Wanda Thomas Bernard, Senator The Honourable Tony Loffreda, Senator The Honourable Yvonne Boyer, Senator The Honourable Sandra Lovelace-Nicholas, Senator The Honourable Jane Cordy, Senator The Honourable Mary Jane McCallum, Senator The Honourable René Cormier, Senator The Honourable Marilou McPhedran, Senator The Honourable Brent Cotter, Senator The Honourable Marie-Françoise Mégie, Senator

The Honourable Mary Coyle, Senator The Honourable Julie Miville-Dechêne, Senator The Honourable Jean-Guy Dagenais, Senator The Honourable Lucie Moncion, Senator The Honourable Donna Dasko, Senator The Honourable Rosemary Moodie, Senator The Honourable Colin Deacon, Senator The Honourable Ratna Omidvar, Senator The Honourable Marty Deacon, Senator The Honourable Kim Pate, Senator The Honourable Tony Dean, Senator The Honourable Chantal Petitclerc, Senator The Honourable Michael Duffy, Senator The Honourable Mohamed Ravalia, Senator The Honourable Josée Forest-Niesing, Senator The Honourable Pierrette Ringuette, Senator The Honourable Rosa Galvez, Senator The Honourable Murray Sinclair, Senator The Honourable Nancy Hartling, Senator The Honourable Josée Verner, Senator The Honourable Mobina Jaffer, Senator The Honourable Howard Wetston, Senator The Honourable Judith Keating, Senator The Honourable Vern White, Senator The Honourable Stan Kutcher, Senator

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For more information: Emily Grant or Evan Cathcart Office of Senator Kim Pate [email protected]; [email protected] 613-995-9220