Ottawa – The Sexual Reproductive Health Fund was created to support a wide range of evidence-informed and innovative projects that address the pressing needs of people in Canada who are at increased risk for poorer sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes, such as members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities, Indigenous and racialized people, women and youth.
Budget 2021 committed $45 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to improve access to a full range of SRH care support, information and services for people in Canada who face the greatest barriers to access. Of the initial $45 million investment through the SRH Fund, over $38.9 has been committed to date. In 2022, Health Canada provided $3.8M to begin work to improve access to abortion.
Budget 2023 renewed and extended this investment for a further $36 million over three years, starting in 2024-25.
Funded by Budget 2021, Health Canada is now providing more than $4.2 million in new funding to the University of British Columbia – Contraception and Abortion Research Team (CART) and Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights (Action Canada) for their projects. The new funding for Action Canada builds on a previous investment of just under $2.3 million.
The CART Access project: Advancing access to abortion for under-served populations through tools for healthcare professionals and people seeking care
University of British Columbia – Contraception and Abortion Research Team (CART)
Funding: $3,833,486
This project will address barriers to abortion information, access and care needs for underserved populations in Canada. The project will improve abortion care by working with organizations to create training resources and materials for health care professionals and patients, as well as develop resources for underserved populations. UBC-CART will host a national meeting to engage with all stakeholders to develop a strategy to improve access to abortion for these populations.
Access for All Expansion
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights (Action Canada)
Funding: $428,236
The Access for All Expansion project will build on the initial Health Canada investment of $2,291,773 in the Action Canada Access Line and Sexual Health Information program. This expansion of this program will help meet the needs of more individuals by developing additional marketing and communications tools to continue to expand their reach and ensure that more people in Canada are connected to a reliable source of information and referrals on sexual and reproductive health matters. This is of particular importance at a time where disinformation online is rising, including on many sexual and reproductive health issues. This will help increase the project’s visibility and ease access to their services to everyone who needs the information necessary to make and act on important health decisions. The project will also improve access to their financial assistance program, which gives financial and logistical support to people who must travel to access abortion services.