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Canadian MP Launches Petition to Stop Federal Funding of Planned Parenthood

By Patrick B. Craine

OTTAWA, Ontario, November 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - "We, the undersigned residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to stop all funding of International Planned Parenthood Federation," reads a new petition being circulated by Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Brad Trost (Saskatoon-Humboldt).

The petition refers specifically to a 2006 pledge from the Canadian federal government to allocate $18 million over four years to International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).  CIDA is overseen by International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda (C-Durham), who took the position in 2007.

The goal, says Trost, is to stop the IPPF funding when it comes up for renewal, which he says is supposed to happen around December 31st.

He has circulated a similar petition "on a low-key level" by word-of-mouth since the March for Life in May, but has redrafted it and posted it to his website.  He has already presented these petitions in the House of Commons a few times, but is now stepping up his efforts.

He raised the issue informally, he says, as have others, but "got a brush off."  "I then started ... to roll this out so that people would realize and understand that the federal government ... funds Planned Parenthood International," he told LifeSiteNews.com, "and I find that disturbing and would like to have the money rerouted to something else."

IPPF is the world's largest abortion provider and, as they themselves admit, promotes international abortion 'rights' as one of their central focuses.

In addition to IPPF's abortion advocacy, the petition cites the fact that the organization "does not support physicians' freedom to practice according to their conscience and/or religious beliefs regarding abortion referral."

According to IPPF's 'Charter on Sexual and Reproductive Rights', physicians may only refuse to offer contraceptive and abortion 'services' "if they can refer the client to health professionals willing to provide the service immediately" (5.3).  "No such right exists in emergency cases where lives are at risk," they add.

IPPF took in $119 million in 2008, with almost 80% coming from government grants.  In the midst of a financial crisis, $23 million of that money went towards staffing, with over 3 dozen people given six figure incomes that topped out at $480,000.

CIDA would seem to have become a dedicated supporter of organizations that advocate de-population and actively work towards global abortion access, giving away millions of Canadian tax money.  In 2007, for example, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation reported that, in addition to the money pledged to IPPF, in 2006/2007 CIDA had given $44,050,000 to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as well as $18 million to UNICEF.

While UNFPA claims that they do not promote abortion, they are an ardent supporter of abortion advocacy groups, such as IPPF, which reported in 2008 that it had received $1 million from the fund that year.  In September, the UNFPA's leader, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, called for a budget of $23 billion to be able to fund abortions worldwide.

In Trost's opinion, the government has continued funding IPPF because of "inertia."  "The bureaucracy's done it before and no one wants to rock the boat," he explained.  "So at the end of the day, don't make any waves. ... I'm encouraging people to let their voice be spoken so that the unelected government, i.e. the bureaucrats in CIDA who support Planned Parenthood, don't get to dictate where people's tax dollars go."

He is encouraging people to write the Prime Minister and CIDA's Minister, Bev Oda.  He would like those who write "not only to oppose it because abortion is wrong, period, but also because there's other better ways to spend ... Canadian international development aid money."

"Write or encourage the Minister and CIDA to spend money on other things - vaccination programs, well-water programs," he said.  "There's other much better things this could be spent on."

The petition can be downloaded from Trost's website.  A French version will be posted next week or later this week.  Completed petitions are to be sent to his Ottawa office.

Contact Information:

Brad Trost, MP (Saskatoon-Humboldt)
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 992-8052
E-mail: trostb@parl.gc.ca

Bev Oda, MP (Durham) and Minister of International Cooperation
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 992-2792
Fax: (613) 992-2794
Email: Oda.B@parl.gc.ca

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa
K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Governments Maintain IPPF Funding Despite Financial Crisis in 2008
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jul/09070910.html

Canada's Conservative Gov't Gave $80 Million To De-Population Groups in 2006/07
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07112708.html

Leader of United Nations Population Fund Calls for Global Abortion Funding
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/sep/09090403.html

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