An abortion advocacy group is calling on the Quebec government to remove abortion rights from its proposed constitution, which it recently tabled. The Fédération du Québec pour le planning des naissances (FQPN), a pro-choice group, argues that abortion is a fundamental right and not a “freedom” that the government should be allowed to exploit for election purposes. Jess Legault, the general coordinator at FQPN, said abortion is already protected under the Health Care Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, along with five Supreme Court rulings, adding that legislating abortion could allow future restrictions by governments. “This is one of those really well-intentioned bad ideas. We saw this in 2022 with Justin Trudeau, after Roe v. Wade was overturned in the U.S.,” she said. According to Legault, Canada is the only country in the world that does not have an abortion law. “A more conservative government down the road could come and add a certain number of weeks at the end, for example, or say under certain conditions only, or that the doctor gets to decide,” Legault explained. Currently, under the Health Care Act, there are no legal limits on the number of weeks for an abortion or the reason for one. “Every time this comes up as an idea, we have to block it,” she noted. “Nothing in the Quebec constitution or this bill that is pretending it’s a constitution that’s not going to change, because Canada still has precedent over Quebec.” Premier François Legault said the constitution would protect Quebecers’ distinct identity and culture and is intended to defend what the government deems to be the common values of Quebec, including secularism and equality between men and women. However, a new Léger poll commissioned by the CAQ government shows that a large majority of Quebecers want abortion enshrined into law. “It is a clear sign of concern in Quebec amid the global context,” Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette said after tabling his constitutional bill. According to the poll, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press, 77 per cent of respondents said they support Quebec having “additional legal tools to protect the right to abortion.” The figure rises to 83 per cent among women. “I think the numbers speak for themselves. I think it shows how important it is to protect free choice in Quebec and that there is a fear… We shouldn’t wait to find ourselves in a situation like in some U.S. states where this right is constantly under attack,” the minister said in an interview with The Canadian Press. With files from the Canadian Press.
