Remarks by the Deputy Prime Minister on protecting reproductive freedom and covering essential health care costs

October 29, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario

Check against delivery

Good afternoon.

I am going to start by talking about the Canadian economy. I will then discuss measures our government is taking to protect women’s reproductive freedom. And finally, I will provide an update on the Canada Health Transfer.

Minister Ien will then speak in more detail about how we are protecting women’s reproductive freedom.

Minister Holland will provide an update on dental care and pharmacare.

Finally, Minister Duclos will go into greater detail about what today’s announcements mean for Canadians.

So, let me start by talking just for a minute about the good economic news we have been receiving.

Inflation was down to 1.6 per cent in September. That is a three-and-a-half year low. It means that for nine months in a row, inflation in Canada has been within the Bank of Canada’s target range.

Thanks to that good news on inflation, we’ve now seen the Bank of Canada lowering rates four times in a row. The Bank of Canada is now the first central bank in the G7 to cut interest rates four times. I emphasize this because this is really important relief for Canadians and Canadian businesses—it means more money for your household, more money in your pocket, and it means real relief for Canadians who are looking ahead to renewing their mortgage.

Wages have now outpaced inflation for 20 months in a row and in September, we had good jobs numbers, with 47,000 jobs created.

Today, 1.4 million more people are working in Canada compared to before the pandemic. That is a 7.1 per cent increase in employment, which is the largest increase of any G7 country. And, in September, unemployment did actually move down to 6.5 per cent.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) published its World Economic Outlook last week. That Outlook showed Canada to have lower inflation than the U.S. since 2021 and across other advanced economies since 2022. The World Economic Outlook also projects Canada to have lower inflation than many peer economies going forward.  

There is a lot more to do, but we are seeing solid progress.

We know that now is not the time to pull back on support for Canadians. Now is not the time for cuts and austerity. Our government knows that we need to make investments in Canadians so that everyone in our great country has the tools they need to succeed.

And that brings me to our first announcement.

Every woman—every Canadian woman—must be free to make her own decisions about her own body. Every woman in Canada must have access to the health care she needs.

Today, however, there are some anti-choice organizations that use misleading tactics to make it hard for women to make informed choices and to have access to the full range of reproductive care. That undermines a woman’s fundamental right to make her own reproductive decisions.

What makes this particularly inappropriate is that many of these groups are benefiting from Canada’s tax incentives for charitable donations, which are among the most generous in the world.

That’s wrong. And that’s why, today, Minister Ien has tabled a Notice of Ways and Means Motion in Parliament to fix this. Minister Ien will speak about her motion and why it matters in a few minutes.

We are introducing this legislation to ensure that women who are seeking information about their health care options are not misled.

And we are doing this to ensure that those who mislead Canadian women are not rewarded with subsidies from Canadian taxpayers.

This announcement builds on other measures our government has taken to improve health care for Canadians, like the Canada Health Transfer.

This month, our government transferred $4.34 billion for health care to provinces and territories.

This year alone, provinces and territories are receiving $52.1 billion from the federal government through the Canada Health Transfer.

That’s the equivalent of $1 billion a week, every week.

This amount is going to provincial and territorial governments to support them in delivering health care to Canadians, no matter where they live.

The $52.1 billion for 2024-25 is 62 per cent higher than in 2014-15, when our government was elected.

This is part of our historic $200 billion,10-year plan to clear backlogs, improve primary care, cut wait times, and deliver the health care that people need and deserve.

A fair and strong health care system is essential to ensuring fairness for every generation. That’s why the federal government is proud to be doing its part. No matter your age, your income, or your circumstances, every Canadian deserves to know that they will get the care and support they need. 

Thank you very much.