Conservative backbencher Brad Trost is openly criticizing his government's decision to fund $6 million to the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
The Harper government announced Wednesday that the funds, spread over three years, would go specifically to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mali, Sudan, and Tanzania where abortion is illegal.
But Trost, MP for Saskatoon-Humboldt, wrote on his website that the government's decision to send the money to countries that ban abortion is merely an attempt to square their repeated statement that Canada will not fund abortion internationally.
"Considering that promoting abortion internationally is central to the identity of IPPF, this sort of political hairsplitting only seems to make sense in the Ottawa bubble," he wrote.
The IPPF describes itself as a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.
And in his website statement, Trost said he is done with asking politely and voicing his pro-life opinions behind closed doors.
"The government only responds to Pro-Life issues and concerns when we take an aggressive stance. We will apply this lesson," he wrote.
Trost wrote that Conservative MPs have been asking since 2006 to have IPPF defunded, and that they were only victorious after initiating a more aggressive and public campaign in 2009.
"Federal funding did stop for a time. Funds allocated to IPPF were considerably reduced. Furthermore, federal grants for IPPF also had more strings attached," Trost wrote.
"This only happened because of the pressure applied. This was a real victory."
Now, he wrote, "pro-Life politicians have been taught a lesson."
