CLC Blog

On Tuesday, May 4, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at the Women Deliver Conference in Vancouver that the Government of Canada would increase their spending on “international sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health,” until reaching a total of $1.4 billion annually in 2023. The incremental increase in spending will start immediately and the government pledges to maintain the $1.4 billion annually from 2023 until 2030.

The government’s current investments on women’s health services worldwide are worth $1.1 billion, $400 million of which focuses on sexual health and reproductive rights. In light of the new financial commitment, the amount of funds allocated to the latter would increase to $700 million. That means that half of Canada’s total spending on international aid for women’s and children’s health will go “to ensuring women have access to safe abortions and reproductive-health services worldwide.”

In March 2017, Canada announced $650 million dollars, given over a period of 3 years, to address “gaps in sexual and reproductive health and rights around the world.” This followed on the heels of the US government’s announcement that it will stop funding international groups that commit abortion. This new funding announcement expands on the Canadian government’s 2017 financial commitment.

As we have said previously, “sexual and reproductive health and rights” (SRHR) is a euphemism for abortion on demand, contraception, sterilization, and radical sexual education. In addition, the $650 million is funding advocacy groups involved in lobbying efforts to repeal existing pro-life legislation in developing countries, as well as organizations that knowingly commit illegal abortion, such as Marie Stopes International.

This is a clear example of ideological colonization: a rich nation funding initiatives to pressure governments into abandoning the cultural traditions and practices of their people. Taking advantage of the poverty of these developing nations – promising aid but at the cost of abandoning their ancestral tradition of valuing life in the womb – is abusive and a grave injustice. Canada has no right to impose its Western concept of abortion on nations that would prefer to act otherwise.

At the Women Deliver Conference, Trudeau affirmed his support of the alleged “fundamental right for a woman to choose what she wants to do with her body.”

Contrary to what he may believe, there remains no internationally recognized right to abortion. The Member States of the United Nations have never come to a consensus on the issue; it remains extremely controversial. However, there is an internationally recognized right to life for the unborn: “Whereas the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth…” (Preamble of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959).

If Trudeau is re-elected, the ongoing killing of children in the womb will continue in Canada and abroad. However, can Andrew Scheer promise to do any better? If elected, will he reverse these deadly policies and reclaim Canada’s reputation as a defender of life, or will he just maintain the status quo in the name of “not reopening the abortion debate.”

Millions of children will be killed because of these funds. Which political leader in Canada is willing to stand up and say enough is enough?