British Columbia Is Making Birth Control Free — Could Quebec Be Next?
B.C. is the first province in Canada to make prescription contraception free. There's a call to make Quebec the second.
A packet of birth control pills sitting on a calendar.
On April 1, British Columbia will become the first province in Canada to make prescription birth control free. There's a call to make Quebec the second.
Opposition political party Québec solidaire (QS) is calling on the government to extend provincial health insurance to cover contraception, essentially making it free for consumers.
The party argues that free contraception would save the province money since it would potentially spend less on care related to unwanted pregnancies. Citing a study by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, QS says those savings could amount to $71 million a year in health care spending. The measure itself is expected to cost $48 million annually.
QS argues free contraception would not only make it more accessible, but also serve as a profound statement when several jurisdictions in the United States are restricting access to contraception and abortion.
"Here is a concrete opportunity to show the rest of North America that in our Quebec vision of feminism, access to contraception, like access to abortion, is a guaranteed right," Québec solidaire MNA Manon Massé said in a press release.
"By covering all forms of contraception in the RAMQ basket, we will reduce unwanted pregnancies and support the right of women to make their own health choices."
This is the latest in a string of flashy proposals from the leftist party. It's also calling for an end to landlord bans on pets in all Quebec apartments and a cap on delivery service fees for restaurants.
These proposals come ahead of a hotly contested by-election in the riding of Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne.