In its fall economic statement released on Dec. 16, the federal government announced funding to make permanent and expand Canada’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund (SRHF). Advocates are calling the decision a “significant victory” for sexual and reproductive health and rights, and one that will improve access for people in rural and remote communities.
Created through budget 2021 with a $45 million investment, the SRHF supports projects aimed at delivering sexual and reproductive services to underserved communities. Starting in 2025, Health Canada will receive $20 million ongoing for the fund.
Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, co-director of policy and advocacy at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, said the announcement ensures the services established through the fund will be available when people need them, and hopefully grow to match increasing demand.
“What it means is that organizations and sexual health centres who have been assisting marginalized communities who continue to face barriers to sexual health access, that they can continue getting those services,” she said.
Action Canada’s Access Line project provides financial and technical assistance to people who must travel for abortion services, as well as delivering reliable sexual health information. Since the Access Line started receiving SRHF funding, Owusu-Akyeeah said there has been an “exponential rise in demand and calls for assistance.”
In the last year, the Access Line got around 6,500 calls, about 1,500 more than in 2022-23. Over half of those calls were for people who needed abortion access, with most requests for assistance coming from outside of urban centres.
“The trend that our Access Line is noticing, and what they report to myself and my colleagues, is that the majority of the people, or a significant number of the people, who are facing the greatest barriers to accessing an abortion are in northern, rural, and remote communities,” Owusu-Akyeeah said.
The rising demand for the types of wraparound services Action Canada provides corresponds with increased challenges in accessing primary health care providers, who would normally provide patients with the necessary treatment or referrals, she said.
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada also acknowledged the continuous SRHF funding, and the commitment to provide $7.5 million to Statistics Canada for surveys about sexual and reproductive health and rights, as a positive first step.
In a statement, the organization called the funding commitments encouraging but urged the federal government to act urgently to implement the programs and policies “ahead of any general election period and to do all necessary to protect them beyond an election.”
"As the national voice for women's health, the SOGC has long advocated to ensure that women's sexual and reproductive rights are at the forefront of policy development, federally, provincially and territorially. We are ready to work with the government as soon as possible on the details on these commitments to help improve women's health overall through better access to care and increased data in Canada," said SOGC president Dr. Lynn Murphy-Kaulbeck.
