Canadian abortion group says it may have to shutter after losing government funding

Protesters for abortion are separated from protesters against abortion as the two groups demonstrate on the front lawn of Parliament, in Ottawa, Thursday, May 11, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A national group that helps people who have trouble accessing abortion services says it may be forced to shut down in several months after Health Canada declined to renew its funding for the upcoming year.

Abortion Care Canada says it had sought $1.3 million from the federal government’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund for the next fiscal year but will get nothing, despite having received about $2.2 million in total since the fund was established in 2021.

It’s among several groups that say their financial support from the fund has been denied or decreased for next year, even as demand rises for their services.

The groups also worry that the future of the fund is uncertain amid a prorogation of Parliament and looming election that may see a government change.

TK Pritchard, executive director of Abortion Care Canada, formerly National Abortion Federation Canada, said the annual fund supported 77 per cent of its operations last fiscal year, when it helped 450 people access abortions. Many of them were newcomers, racialized and LGBTQ clients, and those living outside of city centres.

Pritchard said they would have brought their ask down to the $800,000 range they previously received, but didn’t have an opportunity to amend their application.

Abortion Care Canada uses the federal funding to cover the cost of flights, hotels and transportation for pregnant people who need to travel far distances to get abortions, and to co-ordinate care with providers across the country.

Until 2021, they were part of the U.S. National Abortion Federation, which helped fund operations until the Canadian branch broke off and started receiving financial support from the government.

“The reality is that unless something big changes, we will likely close. The organization will shut down. We have four to six months of funding that I can kind of piece together,” Pritchard said ahead of a fundraising campaign set to launch Wednesday.

Health Canada says it received a large number of proposals in response to its call for sexual health projects in 2025-26 and 2026-27, and there wasn’t enough money to support all of them.

“All proposals were evaluated against merit-based criteria, including criteria related to the specificity and feasibility of proposed project activities and outputs as well as level of stakeholder collaboration,” the federal institution said by email in response to questions about why the charity’s funding didn’t get renewed.

“Abortion Care Canada submitted a proposal under this new call for proposals, but its proposal was not successful.”

It’s not the only group that saw a funding cut — Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, an amalgamation of several groups that promote sexual and reproductive rights including Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada, said its funding was reduced by nearly 40 per cent.

Both groups say the funding cuts, which they were notified of in December, come as demand for their services has risen exponentially over the last three years. They say many people in precarious positions will not be able to access abortions as a result, and that their entire operations will be scaled back, including the number of people they serve and the level of care they offer.

The Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund started with a $45-million investment in 2021, and was renewed with $36 million in 2023, with the government acknowledging that some communities within Canada face discrimination and don’t have equal access to reproductive health care.

Last fall, the Liberals' budget proposed $90 million over six years to expand and make the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund permanent. But the Prime Minister has since prorogued Parliament while Liberals elect a new leader, and opposition parties have vowed to topple the government.

Frédérique Chabot, acting executive director of Action Canada, said the $36 million that was allocated to the fund in 2023 has to last until March 2027. “So it’s the last of the money that is being distributed,” Chabot said.

The survival of groups backed by this fund depends on the incoming government’s priorities, she said, adding she believes it may become an election issue.

Without federal support she predicted, “the disappearance will be devastating to Canadians and to health care systems that are already overwhelmed and overtaxed.”

In 2021, Action Canada helped about 100 people access abortions. In 2024, between January and November, it helped more than 600 people, Chabot said.

Like Abortion Care Canada, they work with people facing the most significant barriers to abortion to ensure they can safely make it to appointments. They also work with federal and provincial governments on policies to increase abortion access.

Chabot, who has worked at the organization for 10 years, said patients seem more overwhelmed, in more dire circumstances, and face more financial strain each year.

“The fact that we are going to lose funding when we were already under massive pressure in terms of demands means that a lot of people will be denied abortions moving forward,” Chabot said.

The Canadian Association of Midwives said their application for the next round of funding was also denied entirely after receiving financial support from 2023 to 2025.

“The needs of the communities they serve will be negatively impacted by this decision,” the group’s executive director Tonia Occhionero said.

Health Canada said it will release the list of projects it is funding in the coming months.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada said Health Canada confirmed it will receive $1.2 million from the fund to work on menopause education. Last year, federal funds supported an abortion and contraception access project.

The society’s chief executive officer, Dr. Diane Francoeur, said funding that’s already been allocated doesn’t usually get touched when governments change hands.

“But we’ll see. There’s a lot of uncertainty,” Francoeur said.

She said funding cuts for sexual and reproductive care would most impact abortion education and support.

“We have to secure what we have because it’s so easy to lose,” said Francoeur.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2025.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press