Federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh says he wants free birth control and morning-after pills for every Canadian who has a health card. Singh holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he wants every Canadian with a health card to be able to get free birth control and morning-after pills.
He says this is to ensure that people have the right to do what they want with their body.
Singh says the New Democrats are using their deal with the Liberals to try and get the federal government to pay for contraception including intrauterine devices or IUDs.
He promises the deal will fall apart if the federal government doesn’t meet a March 1 deadline to table a bill that works for both parties.
The Liberals and NDP have already agreed to cover birth control through a single-payer program in the first go around.
They are also in talks to include diabetes drugs in the program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2024.
