This week, John Rustad’s Conservative Party of BC announced their plan to overhaul reproductive healthcare services in British Columbia.
The Tories are calling this plan ‘Next Generation Healthcare’ and are saying they would see it be implemented if elected.
This initiative consists of a five-point plan aimed at supports for women:
- Expanding coverage of IVF treatments by funding a second round for those hoping to start a family, where the BC NDP just implemented a free first round of IVF treatment
- Giving women who have lost a pregnancy access to one-month’s paid leave after a miscarriage
- Funding the training of more midwives by opening a training school in Surrey and offering a conversion program for nurses wanting to be midwives
- Funding support for adoption processes to help would-be families offset costs associated with adopting a child
- Increasing funding for cervical and ovarian cancer
“Our 5-point plan for next generation reproductive healthcare will raise the standard of reproductive services in BC and ensure that women have the support they deserve,” Rustad said.
“Under the NDP, BC’s reproductive health services have lagged far behind those in other regions,” said Rustad.
“Women and families here deserve better access, better care, and better outcomes—and our plan will deliver exactly that.”
View the press conference Rustad announced this plan here.
The BC NDP immediately criticized the Conservative’s plan upon announcement.
They say that Rustad’s reproductive health plan focuses on many things the BC NDP are already doing, specifically IVF treatment.
The BC NDP also points out that the plan doesn’t include any mention of access to abortion or contraception.
They added that several Conservative Party of BC candidates are anti-abortion and supported by pro-life groups.
The BC NDP claim that Bryan Tepper, Conservative candidate for Surrey-Panorama; Bruce Banman, Conservative candidate for Abbotsford South; Harman Bhangu, Conservative candidate for Langley-Abbotsford; Pete Davis, Conservative candidate for Kootenay-Rockies; and Heather Maahs, Conservative candidate for Chilliwack North are all anti-abortion.
Victoria Buzz reached out to the BC Conservatives to have them clarify their stance on access to abortion and contraception for women, but have not received an answer as of this publication.
Elections BC said a total of 171,381 voters cast their ballots on the first day of advance voting on Thursday, setting a new record for the most votes ever on an advance voting day in a BC election.
This turnout surpasses the previous record of 126,491 votes set during the 2017 election.
Final voting day is Saturday October 19th.
