U.S. debate could 'normalize' anti-abortion ideas in Canada, warns Ontario expert
CBC
Advocates in an Ontario region where there's a vocal anti-abortion elected official say the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade controversy is a reminder to fight harder for better access to abortions in Canada.
"When major shifts like this happen in our southern neighbour, it always has an impact here," said Margot Francis, associate professor of women's and gender studies at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.
The city sits to the east of the provincial riding of Niagara West, where MPP Sam Oosterhoff, a Progressive Conservative, told an anti-abortion rally in Toronto in 2019 that he pledged to "to fight to make abortion unthinkable in our lifetime."
While Francis said she thinks it would be difficult to see those changes in Canada, as it is a "deeply pro-choice country," discussions in the U.S. could embolden politicians like Oosterhoff, she said.
"It normalizes the idea that women should not have autonomous decision-making over their bodies," Francis said, "and that women's suffering, in relation to making those choices, is actually OK."
A leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion was released last week, just as Ontario's election officially got underway, prompting the topic to enter into provincial political discussions almost immediately.
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford pledged last Wednesday to maintain abortion access in the province, while the other three main parties said they would expand it if elected in June.
"I think a lot of people thought it was impossible, this would happen in the states, until [former U.S. president Donald] Trump was elected," Francis said. "We could think similarly [in Canada], that it's impossible, but I don't think it is."
CBC Hamilton reached out to Oosterhoff for comment, but did not receive a response. He has not made any public comments on the issue recently.
Tami Friedman, associate professor of history who's also at Brock University, said it's not just what politicians say, but also what kind of support exists behind them in a community.
"The rally itself was very significant, but I think it's crucial to not lose sight of that larger base of support," Friedman said.
Francis agrees.
"The fact that he got elected with those kinds of extreme opinions is, I think, more the issue — that he represents a large set of communities that would also work to obstruct women's ability to make choices about their own health care."
Mo Constantine is well aware of the barriers in the Niagara Region to abortion services.
A Brampton lawyer allegedly connected to fugitive Ryan Wedding was granted bail Tuesday morning by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Rankin Inlet hamlet councillors recently passed a motion that has had them avoid drinking alcohol for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, with the goal of setting a positive example for the community.
Jason Jacques says he learned a lot about the importance of choosing his words carefully in his first few months as the interim parliamentary budget officer (PBO).
Durham police say a man is dead after suffering multiple stab wounds in Oshawa Tuesday morning.
An internal review of technical outages that caused significant delays at airports and international land borders this fall has exposed critical flaws with the Canada Border Services Agency's IT services.
Two people are in life-threatening condition after being pulled from a house fire in Scarborough Tuesday morning, according to Toronto Fire Services.
Whenever the door opens at the British Grenadier Bookshop, proprietor Steve Douglas doesn’t know who is going to walk through.
A northeastern Ontario potato farmer says he’s shipping more bags of potatoes to southern Ontario to make up for waning demand.
Halifax’s registry of rental properties is now available to the public online, showing what HRM staff believe are the “bulk” of rentals in the city.
A New Brunswick tenant says he’s being pushed out of his rented bungalow as retribution for complaining about his landlord, but his landlord says she’s the victim of an unfair tenancy tribunal ruling that is preventing her from using the unit to house family.
Snow and freezing rain could affect morning commutes on Tuesday, according to a special weather statement issued by Environment Canada.
Daniel Jolivet, 68, had his first taste of freedom this weekend after spending the last 33 years behind bars.
Peguis First Nation is suing former chief Glenn Hudson over allegations he failed to act in the best interest of the band and financially benefitted from breaches of duty — including claims that he enriched himself, his family and supporters.