(Montreal) Quebec solidaire (QS) reiterates its election goal on Sunday to deliver prescription contraceptive products.
Clara Descurnings in the Canadian Press
The party is inspired by British Columbia, which recently announced that contraception will be free for all starting on April 1. Western Province gave more than $1,000,000 in funding over three years, or just under $40 million per year.
QS for its part estimates that this costs 48 million per year in Quebec, but the savings made with the reduction in unnecessary pregnancy costs more than compensate for this investment.
“It’s about dignity,” spokeswoman Manon Massé insisted in a phone interview, arguing that this would allow women to freely choose the method of contraception that best suits them. Not all contraceptives are covered in whole or in part by the Régie de l’Assurance Maladie du Québec, he recalls.
At the moment, “contraception is like a consumer like everyone else,” she laments, while Quebec “is enough of a feminist rich” to remove this weight from women’s shoulders.
The party also wants to distribute free monthly products in public places such as schools and libraries, as Scotland has done since 2020.
“Economically, the burden is on women’s wallets,” according to Ms. Massé, who advises that some choose to use toilet paper or even their classes due to a lack of funds to improve health care.
The Office of the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, responded in a letter to the CAQ government “will continue to promote better access to contraceptive methods”.
“You should know that RAMQ already offers coverage for costs related to contraceptive pills and IUDs, either through the RAMQ program or tax credits,” he points out. Through our first mandate, we will also facilitate access to abortion pills. »
The abortion policy was first released in 2017, under the Liberal government of Philippe Couillard. Then the College of Medicine removed some restrictions in 2022, which previously required a woman to have an ultrasound and a doctor to undergo specialized training before he could prescribe the drug.
“Especially on menstrual issues, the SCF (Secretariat for the Status of Women) is responsible for coordinating actions with ministries to increase access to menstrual products and contraceptives,” Minister Dubé’s office wrote.
In a letter sent on March 5, the Canadian Press indicated that British Columbia is funding $119,000 over three years, or $40,000 per year, to make contraception free. In fact, British Columbia gave $119 million in funding over three years, or nearly $40 million per year. We also wrote that Quebec solidaire is estimated to cost $48,000 a year in Quebec. In fact, the party predicts it will cost 48 million.
