Dear friends and colleagues,

As you know, the Canadian government is expressing a weak and ambivalent position on the inclusion of sexual and reproductive health and rights, including family planning and contraception, in its G8 maternal and child health initiative. We are writing to urge each one of you to renew your advocacy efforts with G8 and G20 governments.

Urge your government officials to send letters to the Canadian Minister for International Cooperation and to the Prime Minister.

We also urge you to continue writing letters to Canadian Missions, PM and Ministers of International Development, and Foreign Affairs.

Yesterday, a motion focused on Canada's G8 maternal and child health initiative was defeated in the House of Commons. The motion was introduced by the official opposition party - the Liberal Party of Canada - and read as follows:

The vote was 144-138. Every single member of the governing party of Canada - the Conservatives - voted against the motion. As well, three staunchly anti-choice Liberal MPs voted against the motion. All members of the 2 other opposition parties - the Bloc Quebecois and the New Democractic Party (NDP) - voted in favor of it. A number of MPs were absent, while some abstained.

Conservatives called the motion "a transparent attempt to reopen the abortion debate," while steadfastly refusing to clarify the government's position on the matter. They voted en masse against ensuring that G8 leaders consider a "full range of family planning, sexual and reproductive health options, including contraception" when considering the issue of maternal and child health.

Government members claimed the motion included "rash, extreme anti-American rhetoric" because it specifically slammed the policy of former Republican president George W. Bush, whose administration refused for ideological reasons to fund non-governmental organizations that provided for safe abortion services or referrals to such services, advocated for abortion law reform, or even just provided information or counselling with respect to safe abortion.

Had the motion being adopted, what difference if any, would it have made? Motions are non-binding and as such the opposition parties couldn’t force the government to adopt it. However, it would have been useful as opposition parties and advocates could have referred to the motion to try and urge the government to give full effect to it.

The Conservatives may use the defeat of this motion to justify an initiative that is void of the full range of family planning, sexual and reproductive health options. Indeed, to date, the government has only said that it will not "close the door" to family planning and contraception. Family planning and contraception have not been specifically included or prioritized within the initiative. Furthermore, the defeat of the motion yesterday, makes it even more uncertain as to whether the Canadian government will specifically include or prioritize family planning - including contraception - in the G8 maternal and child health initiative.

Opposition members agree with us that pressure from other G8 and G20 members is essential. 

Please find attached the complete official (Hansard) records of the entire debate and vote. This is a valuable document that could be used as source for your letter writing campaigns, presentations, fact sheets etc.

We have also updated our original Call to Action to reflect yesterday’s events. The requested actions remain the same and we urge all of you to renew and increase your advocacy efforts.

Katherine McDonald, LL.B., LL.M
Executive Director
Directrice générale
Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD)/Action Canada pour la population et le développement 

Direct Line 613.867.9752

fax/téléc 613.562.9502

PO Box 52051
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1N 1B4