Could notwithstanding clause be used on abortion? Poilievre’s office says ‘never’

As an annual anti-abortion rally prepares to gather on Parliament Hill, Liberal and Conservatives have been trading political barbs over whether abortion access could face attempts to curtail it.

It comes as the fall of Roe v. Wade in the United States has put the issue front and centre ahead of November’s presidential election.

Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien on Wednesday suggested Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre could use the notwithstanding clause to remove abortion rights in Canada, citing his vow to use the controversial clause for bail reform.

“Are we fear-mongering? Unequivocally, no. It wasn’t too long ago in this country that abortion was a crime. So it is not, too much to say that this is the slope we could be going down,” she said Wednesday.

A statement from Poilievre spokesperson Sebastian Skamski in response to Ien’s comments said a Conservative government would not use the notwithstanding clause on abortion.

“These outlandish claims show the true desperation of Justin Trudeau and his flailing Liberals. A common sense Conservative government will not legislate on abortion and therefore would never use this section of the Constitution pertaining to this matter,” Skamski wrote.

A Conservative government “will only use the notwithstanding clause on matters of criminal justice,” Skamski added.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made similar comments to Ien in question period.

This follows a petition tabled by Alberta Conservative MP Arnold Viersen on Monday, calling for the government to regulate abortion. He’s tabled three similarly worded petitions since November.

The Liberals have floated the prospect of a Conservative government rolling back abortion rights during the last two election