Web searches for 'Canadian abortion rights' skyrocket after Trump presidential win. Here's where Canadian leaders stand on reproductive rights

Last night, former President Donald Trump defeated current Vice President Kamala Harris to become the projected winner of the 2024 U.S. Presidential election. The results have sparked further concerns about women's reproductive rights in the U.S. — and have prompted many people in both the U.S. and Canada to search for answers regarding abortion and birth control access.

For context, in June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, reversing the constitutional right to a safe and legal abortion. Currently, 21 of the 50 states have completely banned or put gestational limits on abortion. The restrictions have caused a healthcare crisis for women experiencing miscarriages, ectopic and other non-viable pregnancies as medical professionals are hesitant or unable to provide care out of fear of legal repercussions. Several deaths have been linked to abortion bans, while studies have found an increase in maternal mortality rates in states with abortion restrictions as well as increased infant mortality rates on a national level following Roe v. Wade's repeal.

Within the past 24 hours, in addition to queries on the legal status of abortion by state, U.S. Google web searches for “Abortion rights in Canada” and “Does Canada have abortion rights?” have increased by more than 5,000 per cent apiece. In addition, web searches for “Will Trump ban birth control” and “permanent birth control ban” have increased by more than 5,000 per cent each.

Canadians have made similar online inquiries into Trump’s position on reproductive rights as well as Google searches seeking answers on Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre’s policies.

With a federal election looming in Canada, here’s where three of the leaders of Canada’s political parties — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Liberal Party of Canada), Pierre Poilievre (Conservative Party of Canada) and Jagmeet Singh (Canada's New Democratic Party) — stand on key issues related to women’s health.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - Liberal Party of Canada

Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau affirmed his stance on abortion when he addressed the House of Commons with his daughter, Ella-Grace Trudeau, in attendance.

“I want her to hear me as long as everyone else does,” Trudeau said. “This government is unequivocally pro-choice. We will always defend a woman’s right to choose.”

In September, Trudeau issued a statement on International Safe Abortion Day (Sept. 28) saying, “abortion is health care. Family planning is health care. It’s that simple. On International Safe Abortion Day, we unequivocally reaffirm every woman’s right to make decisions about their body, their life, and their future. We reflect on the freedoms won by women. We recommit to the progress we can’t risk losing. And we fight – tooth and nail – to protect a woman’s right to choose.”

Although he’s a staunch advocate for reproductive rights, Trudeau’s personal feelings on the subject have changed over time. In 2011, Trudeau defended his Catholic faith by stating his personal opposition to abortion but believing in a woman’s right to autonomy over her own body.

In 2019, Trudeau addressed his former comments, saying, “I expressed something I no longer believe. I evolved past that particular perspective. I no longer feel like I can or need to say that I’m against abortion. That’s not for me, as a man, to say.”

Trudeau also backed Bill C-64 to give Canadians access to free contraceptions, as well as diabetes medications, as part of a plan to establish universal Pharmacare.

"Right now, only a fraction of Canadian women are eligible for prescription birth control at low or no cost through a public drug plan..." Trudeau said in May 2024. "Coverage for contraceptives will mean that millions of Canadians will have better access to contraception and reproductive autonomy. This will help improve family planning, reproductive rights, and, fundamentally, equity.

The bill officially passed through the Senate and received royal assent in October. The plan provides a framework to expand into a publicly funded national Pharmacare program.

Pierre Poilievre - Conservative Party of Canada

Pierre Poilievre said earlier this year that a Conservative government would not “support any legislation to regulate abortion.”

The statement came following Conservative MP Arnold Viersen’s comments during a podcast interview with Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith. The Conservative Alberta MP expressed his views on abortion and gay marriage, which he told Erskine-Smith he would vote against if given the opportunity.

“I will lead a small government that minds its own business, letting people make their own decisions about their love lives, their families, their bodies, their speech, their beliefs and their money," Poilievre said.

During the Conservative Party’s 2022 leadership race, Poilievre said he considered himself “pro-choice,” and despite attending pro-life events in the past, has earned criticism from pro-life groups over his current stance.

In September, Poilievre responded to a letter from an anti-abortion supporter who criticized the Conservative Party leader’s pro-choice stance.

“Pro-life Canadians are welcome in our party. The Conservative Party of Canada is a big tent with a strong tradition of free votes of conscience, and I intend to maintain this status quo,” Poilievre said in an email response obtained by The National Post. “While my government will not introduce or pass a law banning abortions, there are many other ways to support women who want to bring a child into the world. I do not believe that abortion should be the only option available to women faced with an unexpected pregnancy.”

Poilievre said he believes in “focusing on bills that promote adoption and help pregnant women through crises would do greater good."

Members of the Liberal and NDP party have questioned the validity of Poilievre's pro-choice stance and have expressed concerns that a Conservative government would, in fact, allow for more opportunities for the party to restrict women's reproductive rights.

In terms of access to birth control, in September Poilievre rejected Bill C-64 on the belief that it would "ban" Canadians "from having a private drug plan."

Jagmeet Singh - New Democratic Party

Jagmeet Singh has been vocal about his party's belief in protecting and expanding abortion access — and critical of his opponents despite their pro-choice stance.

"It’s your body, your life and your choice,” said Singh in an Oct. 24 statement. “Access to health care, including abortion care, is a Canadian value. But while Trudeau lets people down by allowing Conservative premiers to erode access, anti-choice crusaders have been calling the shots for Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives. Poilievre claims he’s pro-choice, but allows his caucus to attack the right to choose again and again, and votes against choice again and again. I’m hearing more and more from women and gender-diverse people who are worried.

“Abortion is health care, and people should not have to worry about accessing care, facing barriers to care, or having to pay for care. They should be able to access it where and when they need it. The NDP is going to fight to protect it.”

As leader of the NDP, Singh pushed for a universal pharmacare plan to provide free contraception as well as diabetes medications to Canadians.

“I’ve heard so many stories of women for whom birth control is out-of-reach. They are often forced to make difficult choices—paying for contraceptives or putting food on the table. It shouldn’t have to be this way,” Singh said in an April 2024 statement.

The bill officially passed through the Senate and received royal assent in October. The plan provides a framework to expand into a publicly funded national Pharmacare program.

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