Jagmeet Singh, Canada’s NDP leader, was in Fredericton on Saturday, Dec. 7 to tour Clinic 554 and offer his support for funding abortion services at the clinic.
“It’s not enough to say you’re a feminist and it’s not enough to say that you believe in a person’s right to choose,” said Singh to reporters at Clinic 554.
“Really defending a right means defending access so I’ve called on Prime Minister Trudeau to use the tools at the federal level to call out the New Brunswick government for contravening the Canada Health Act . . . to force New Brunswick to do what’s required in law. Fund this clinic,” said Singh.
At the Clinic, he met with Dr. Adrian Edgar who explained to him the importance of the clinic to Fredericton and the larger Maritime region. Besides providing abortion services, Dr. Edgar is the family doctor of 3,000 patients, is one of five addictions doctors in New Brunswick, and is primary provider of queer and trans health services in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
Last October, Clinic 554 announced that it would be forced to close if the government of New Brunswick failed to fund abortion services at the clinic. Since opening in 2015, Clinic 554 has been struggling financially due to the lack of support from the province.
Besides Singh, Green Party leader Elizabeth May offered her support to Clinic 554 at an emergency rally in Fredericton on Oct. 11 before the election. Newly elected Fredericton Green Member of Parliament Jenica Atwin has vowed to make funding abortion services at Clinic 554 one of her top priorities.
Tracy Glynn is with the Campaign to Save Clinic 554.