ARCC Annual General Meeting, Feb 10, 2022

Contents:

• AGM Minutes
• 2021 Financial Reports (goes to PDF)
• Board Member Reports
• Executive Director Report, 2021 Activities

Note: Here are the minutes and reports from previous ARCC AGMs:

2008  •  2009  •  2010  •  2011  •  2012  •  2013  •  2014  •  2015  •  2016  •  2017   •  2018   •  2019  • 2020  •  2021

AGM Minutes

Called to order: 4pm

Present:

Board members: A.J. Lowik, Carolyn Egan, Galya Bravo, Lauren Lagoutte, Maria Peraza, Nicole Tucker, Paige Mason, Quinn Roffey-Antoine, Zain Abdulla, and Joyce Arthur (ED).

Members at large: Blair Trelinski, Cheryl Gaster, Émilie Bisson, Fred Williams, Heather Culbert, Julie Lalonde, Marnie Boers, Mirella Russell, Susan White, Tracey Ramsey (UNIFOR), Wynona Marleau

1.       Welcome and introductions from the members at large.

2.       Motion to appoint Executive Director as chair of AGM instead of President – Moved: Joyce; Seconded: Wynona – Motion passes.

3.       Motion to adopt 2021 AGM minutes – Moved: Galya; Seconded: A.J. – Motion passes.

4.       Motion to adopt 2021 agenda, as revised no changes or additions – Moved: Blair; Seconded: Zain – Motion passes.

5.       Membership Report for 2021 by Joyce.

6.       Maria Peraza presented the ARCC 2021 Financial Reports – Joyce Arthur gave context to some of the items on the report.

7.       Motion to approve the 2021 Financial Statements as presented – Moved: Wynona Marleau; Seconded: Paige Mason – Motion passes.

8.       Personal introductions by each Board member, plus regional reports from some. Please see available written reports below.

9.       Executive Director’s Report for 2021. Please see full report below. (Thanks from the board and membership to Joyce for her dedicated service to and efforts on behalf of ARCC this year!)

10.    New Business – None, except members at large who arrived late took the opportunity to introduce themselves.

11.    Draw for door prizes!

Seeing no other business and no objections, Joyce adjourned the meeting at 5:40pm.

12.    Election of Board Directors. 

Regional Reports, AGM 2022

Zain Abdulla (Vancouver)

Français (English follows)

Bonsoir à tous/toutes et merci d’avoir pris le temps de vous joindre a nous ce soir.

Je m’appelle Zain Abdulla (pronom elle), je suis présidente de l’organisation, bien que je sois impliquée depuis bien des années dans différentes capacités.

Mon résumé ce soir est relativement court et se concentre sur 4 éléments principaux.

Premièrement, le CDAC s’engage à approfondir sa compréhension et à intégrer des cadres et des valeurs intersectionnels et d’anti-oppression dans son travail. A ce titre, je suis en train de rechercher et d’organiser une formation anti-oppression pour notre Board. La pandémie a largement suspendu ces opportunités, mais j’espère que des formes alternatives de formation sont, ou deviendront, bientôt disponibles.

Deuxièmement, au cours des dernières années, le CDAC a produit des rapports annuels intitulés « Bilan de L’Année » comptabilisant les victoires pro-choix à travers le Canada. Le rapport de l’année 2021 est en cours de préparation et sera disponible peu de temps après son achèvement.

Troisièmement, je suis ravie de dire que la newsletter « C.D.ACtion » inclura désormais une nouvelle section présentant les recommandations de ressources multimédias et artistiques pro-choix/justice sociale soumises par le Board. Restez donc à l’écoute pour ceux-là! 

Quatrièmement, je suis une étudiante à la Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill et je termine actuellement mon dernier semestre en échange à Allard Law (Faculté de droit de UBC). Ce semestre, je prends cours intitulé « Reproduction et droit », auquel je me suis inscrite en grande partie pour obtenir un compte rendu de la façon dont les facultés de droit au Canada enseignent ce domaine : quels sujets sont étudies, qui enseigne, et quelles ressources sont utilisées. Bien que je pense que cette expérience pourrait nous fournier des informations utiles, je comprends également que les universités à travers le pays enseignent ce cours différemment, et que certaines ne l’offrent pas du tout. 

Pour finir, j’ai hâte de continuer le travail important que fais le CDAC aux côtés de mes incroyables collègues et me réjouis de cette année!

English

Hello everyone and thank you for taking the time to join us this evening.

My name is Zain Abdulla (she/her/hers), I serve as ARCC’s President, though I’ve been involved with the organisation for many years in other capacities too. 

My report tonight is fairly short and focuses on 4 main elements.

First, ARCC is committed to furthering its understanding and incorporation of intersectional and anti-oppression frameworks and values to our work. As such, I’m in the process of researching and organising anti-oppression training for our Board. The pandemic largely suspended such opportunities, but I’m hopeful that alternative forms of workshop delivery are, or will become, available for us to access. 

Second, over the last few years, ARCC has produced annual Year in Review reports tallying pro-choice victories across Canada. The 2021 report is in progress and will be made available shortly after completion.

Third, I’m excited to say that ARCC Spark newsletter will now include a new section featuring pro-choice/ social justice multi-media and artistic resource recommendations submitted by the Board. Stay tuned for those! 

Fourth, I’m a graduating law student at McGill University Faculty of Law and am presently completing my last term on exchange at Allard Law (UBC’s Faculty of Law). This semester, I’m taking “Reproduction and Law”, which I largely enrolled in to get a first-hand account of how Canadian law schools teach this area: what topics are studied, who teaches, and what resources are used. While I believe this experience could provide us with useful information, I also appreciate that law schools across the country may teach the course differently, and some may not offer it at all.

Lastly, I’m looking forward to continuing ARCC’s important work alongside my incredible colleagues and am excited for the year ahead!

Quinn Roffey (Toronto)

Quinn is currently working as a Victim’s Rights Advocate at Aboriginal Legal Services in Toronto. She is a certified Glaldue Writer and has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Concordia University. She is a band member of Poundmaker Cree Nation. Quinn has been involved in the reproductive justice movement since she was a child attending protests. Since joining the board, Quinn has focused on resources in Ontario for women and Indigneous women. Quinn has joined the Reproductive Justice Committee to be a part of future research projects. Currently we are waiting on a grant, hoping to receive it soon, in order to get started! 

Paige Mason (Manitoba)

Despite the challenges of the COVID pandemic in 2021, there were successes for the abortion rights movement in Manitoba.

Due to the success of Access BC, activists in Manitoba started a Free Contraception group and meetings are underway to campaign.

Winnipeg City Councillor Sherri Rollins introduced a motion establishing safe access zones around health care facilities and schools that passed City Council in November and is currently undergoing an administrative report to determine enforcement and logistics.

On October 2, Manitoba NDP MLAs organized a Rally for Reproductive Rights in solidarity with Texas after the restrictive abortion law came into effect. The Rally had around 200 attended at the Manitoba Legislature and was inclusive, diverse and incorporated the principles of reproductive justice. (See photos below!)

At the rally, non-binary and one of the first black MLAs elected in Manitoba, Uzoma Agswara, spoke about ensuring non-binary and transgender inclusivity in the abortion rights movement. Indigenous elders and MLA Nahanni Fontaine spoke about Canada’s history of forced sterilization of women of colour and the racist and classist elements rooted in abortion bans. Also the rally sold “get off my uterus shirts” and “my body my choice shirts,” and 100% of the money was raised for Fund Texas Choice and the Women’s Health Clinic in Winnipeg.

During October, during the 40 Days for Life Camp again, the Feminist as Fuck Marching Band raised over $1150 for Action Canada, where they counted the number of anti-choice protesters outside a hospital in Winnipeg and asked for people to sponsor a protestor. The FAF marching band aim to chase away forced birther protestors from hospitals and clinics.

Although there were highlights for abortion rights here in Manitoba, we continue to have a provincial government that is unsympathetic to the movement and has numerous anti-choicers in the caucus and cabinet.

NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine, for the third time, introduced a bill that would establish buffer zones around clinics and hospitals, and unfortunately, the Progressive Conservatives voted it down.

The health minister in Manitoba continues not to be responsible for reproductive health, and instead, questions are directed to the minister for the status of women.

In October, Heather Stefanson was chosen as the new leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, replacing Brian Pallister, becoming the first women premier; however, Stefanson is rated as pro-life and pro-family by the Campaign for Life Coalition and was unsupportive of reproductive rights as her time as health minister.

Manitoba has a provincial election in 2023, where it looks likely there will be an NDP majority, with many caucus members being strong supporters of reproductive healthcare.

Nicole Tucker (Yellowknife, NT)

My name is Nicole Tucker and I have been on the board of directors for ARCC for about a year now! This has been my first year sitting on a board – ever – and it has been interesting to say the least. I have learned and am continuously learning from the other members and am so very grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to the amazing work that ARCC is doing.

A little background about me: I am a mom of two sweet but extremely fierce kiddos, I work for the workers compensation board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and am currently completing my business administration certificate part time.

My background with school and work does not directly relate to ARCC, however, it does give a different perspective in what reproductive rights mean to your everyday, working, busy mom. My goal in joining ARCC has stemmed from wanting to contribute to the bettering of our current society in hopes that we can continue gaining equality, reproductive rights, and bodily autonomy for not only ourselves, but the generations to come.

ED note: Nicole is a key member of our Fundraising Committee, and has contributed much to several initiatives, including our successful Donor Appreciation outreach project, on which she played a leading role.

Maria Peraza (Coquitlam, BC)

I have been on the ARCC Board since July 2021, taking on the role of Secretary-Treasurer. I am from Colombia and have lived in Canada for about 3 years, and am a strong supporter of reproductive rights.  I work as an HR Account Manager for a Vancouver firm and completed my BBA in Business Administration in Jan 2021.

Lauren Lagoutte (Alberta)

I am Lauren Lagoutte, my pronouns are she/her/hers. I live in Red Deer Alberta which is Treaty 7 land, the traditional territory of the Blackfoot, Tsuu T’ina and Stoney Nakoda peoples. I am an abortion doula, and I run the Red Deer and area pro choice online communities on Facebook and Twitter.

I have been busy during this pandemic time assisting with abortion access, and a lot less in person activism due to the climate. I have planned participation in the SSHRC project [see ED report], participating as a community partner for the project. I am looking forward to an active 2022, both serving on the AARC Board, and within the reproductive rights community.

Galya Bravo (Montreal)

Activist News

It is the FQPN (Fédération du Québec pour le planning des naissances) 50th anniversary this year. 

As their celebratory campaign, they are working on producing 4 testimonial videos from members or affiliated orgs. They will be talking head style and the videos will be discussing reproductive justice and health, sex education, the right to access abortion & inclusion and accessibility.

The goal of the campaign is to recognize feminist victories of the past 50 years and emphasize the importance of current struggles/tough road ahead.

Abortion Pill

Although the abortion pill is available, it is not widely recognized as an option. Low number of medical abortions in QC (Online Leger survey – only focused on cis women which is reflected in the findings)

• Quebec women between the ages of 18 and 54 and found that nearly 2/3 are unaware that a medical or pharmaceutical abortion can be obtained to end a pregnancy.
• 61% of Quebec women are unaware of a non-surgical abortion option however, those who know about it are twice as likely to prefer a pill they could take at home.
• Almost half of Quebec respondents are unaware of the difference between the abortion pill and the morning after pill.
• 89% say if faced with a need for an abortion, they want to choose between a pill and a surgical procedure
• ** Find that women are trusting of their physicians and assume they would tell them about all safe and available options – women not advocating for themselves because of lack of awareness

Government Scandal

The Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Isabelle Charest, is acknowledging that three CAQ MNAs donated money to anti-abortion centres, but she said it was an honest mistake.

• Uncovered by a magazine article
• State that their government is 100% pro-choice
• These were ‘good faith’ donations to orgs that they believed were “helping women”
• Anti-choice orgs disguised as ‘consultation centers’

** With provincial election coming up, activists and orgs still working to ensure that abortion not become an election issue.

(Ed. note: Galya is ARCC’s Vice-President)

Carolyn Egan (Toronto)

(not yet available)

Dr. A.J. Lowik (Vancouver)

Hello everyone! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is A.J. Lowik, and I use they/them/their pronouns. I am a non-binary trans person, a queer liberationist, an unapologetic feminist and a lover of cats and board games! I’m also an academic, scholar and researcher – specifically in the field of trans studies, and trans-focused health research. I am a freelance trans-inclusion consultant, and I help organizations, health care providers, medical students and researchers at all stages of their careers create meaningfully inclusive spaces, services and research studies.

In the past year, here is what I’ve been working on, both as a member of the ARCC Board, and beyond.

First, I successfully defended my PhD dissertation in November 2021 – my qualitative research project utilized both interviews and photographs to understand the tactics that trans and non-binary people use in accessing reproductive health care spaces that are not equipped to serve their needs. It documented why systematic, institution-level changes to policy and practice are so challenging within reproductive health care spaces, and what happens when the onus and burden of experiencing and then responding to suboptimal, un-affirming care is placed on the shoulders of trans people. This was the culmination of years of work and was a project that built on my Masters’ thesis, which focused on identifying the barriers to inclusive abortion care for trans folks. I am now applying for funding through the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research’s trainee program that would allow me to launch a Canadian-specific, trans-centric abortion survey, with the aim of answering two interconnected questions: 1) How do trans and non-binary people describe their experiences accessing abortion services within the Canadian health care system? 2) What factors impact whether abortion services are experienced by trans and non-binary people as gender-affirming and supportive?

Excitingly, the Trans-Inclusive Abortion Services manual that I first wrote in 2017 – and which has since been adapted for use across Canada and the United States – was translated into Spanish and adapted for use in Argentina. Under the direction of Blas Radi, the Independent Chair in Trans* Studies at the University of Buenos Aires, and with the help of many local activists, the Argentine version of the manual has made a huge impact on the conversations happening in Argentina – its release coincided with abortion being made newly legal in the country in early 2021. Argentina has the first gender-inclusive abortion law in the world, and one of the most progress Gender Identity Laws, yet Argentina has nevertheless struggled with the erasure of trans people from social movements and health care settings; and so, the Trans-Inclusive Abortion Services Manual was an important intervention into that erasure within abortion activism and subsequently within newly legal abortion care settings. I am very proud of this partnership, and of the impact that this manual is having in Argentina.

As part of ARCC, I have very proudly served as a member of the Fundraising Committee. I started the year updating the list of potential funding opportunities – from operations grants to research-focused grants, I compiled a list of places where ARCC might find financial support. Although ultimately unsuccessful, I drafted a grant application for Abortion Conversations, which is a small, seed grant fund meant to help catalyze projects focused on destigmatizing abortion.

Finally, I also proposed that ARCC develop a skills-sharing workshop series. For a small fee, existing ARCC members and the public will be invited to participate in these skills-sharing workshops, focused on any number of topics related to abortion activism – how to organize a protest; grant application writing; media skills training; how to work with local government to enact a bubble zone in your community, etc. The money collected – as ticket sales and additional donations – is to be split between the speaker and ARCC. Folks who aren’t ARCC members already, are also invited to sign up, so we can entice new members via the workshops as well!

I will be facilitating the first workshop in the series, on Trans-Inclusive Abortion Activism, on March 5th – there is still plenty of time to sign up! Within 10 days of launching the workshop series, and at the time of writing this report, we have had 29 people signed up already! The event has, so far, generated nearly $500 in membership fees, ticket sales and additional donations. With a month left to go before the first workshop, and with many ideas for subsequent workshops, we are excited at the fundraising potential of this initiative. I’m very proud of this workshop idea, and very grateful to the other members of the Fundraising Committee, who have brought this idea to life with their skills, time, and enthusiasm. If you have an idea for a workshop, don’t hesitate to let us know! We are excited to get started planning workshop #2 for some time in the summer months, and then a third workshop later in the year.

Executive Director’s Report, 2022 AGM

By Joyce Arthur – covering ARCC’s 2021 work

Liberal election promises for SRHR: We attended a government roundtable in July with representatives from the Ministry of Finance and several stakeholders in sexual and reproductive health and rights (including Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, National Abortion Federation, and others). Some of the Liberal promises in their election platform arose directly from ARCC’s asks at this roundtable, including strengthening the Canada Health Act to ensure funding and delivery of abortion and sexual healthcare, $10 million in funding for a Health Canada website portal on abortion, and no more granting of charitable status for anti-choice groups. We met with a Senior Policy Advisor in December and have started pursuing the promises.

Pro-Bono Students Canada: We launched three projects with Pro-Bono Students Canada in New Brunswick. We are guiding law students’ research on “conscientious objection” regulation and policy in Canada, efficacy of (or need for) safe access zones in Atlantic provinces, and an analysis of how “crisis pregnancy centres” are regulated in five western countries compared to Canada. The students will produce a memo of their findings by April 2022. All three projects have the goal of lobbying for better policies and regulations in Canada.

Research on “Conscientious Objection”: In December, we partnered with researchers at the University of Ottawa and applied for a one-year research grant. If successful, the project will begin in March. We will recruit and survey Canadians who were denied reproductive healthcare in Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick, on the basis of so-called “conscientious objection” by healthcare professionals. We hope to establish some baseline data on the extent and impacts of this practice in Canada with the aim of placing limits on it.

Reviewing CPC Websites: We collaborated with the BC Humanist Association (BCHA) and a University of Lethbridge student to expand our research into anti-choice “crisis pregnancy centres” (CPCs) in Canada. So far, we’ve re-examined all CPC websites in Canada for misinformation and other ethical lapses (an update to our 2016 research project) and created a database of info. This year, we will analyze the results and write/publish the report. The goals are to raise more public awareness, fight against government funding of CPCs, and advocate for legislation to regulate them.

Safe Access Zones: We advocated for safe access zones to protect facilities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba that provide abortion, including private member bills in both the SK and MB legislatures, and a motion at Winnipeg City Council to pass a bylaw, which was drafted by our Board member in Winnipeg, Paige Mason. Our ED supported Paige and local activists and groups in both provinces with their campaigns and the proposed bills. We created a petition for SK (with over 25,000 signatures so far), published op-eds in SK, and issued a press release for MB.

We also supported the Ontario court case where an Ottawa protester is challenging the safe access zone protecting 8 private abortion clinics in Ontario. ARCC Board member Carolyn Egan testified at trial, and we also disclosed written evidence we had previously gathered in support of the law.

Lawsuit for Clinic 554 against NB government: We continue to support the current lawsuit against the province of New Brunswick by the Canadian Civil Liberties Assoc. The suit is challenging the government’s refusal to fund surgical/aspiration abortions at Clinic 554. ARCC is part of a team offering info and advice. When the lawsuit was first announced in January 2021, we issued a press release. Also, Galya Bravo, our ARCC Board member in Quebec, served on an adhoc committee that sent a letter to party leaders and candidates during the federal election about lack of access in NB. The letter gathered many signatories.

Court case interventions re anti-choice bus ads: We intervened in a court case by Guelph & Area Right to Life against City of Guelph, related to inaccurate and demeaning anti-choice bus ads that the city refused to run. We wrote a Factum detailing our arguments and gave oral arguments at a June hearing. We supported the city’s refusal of the ads on the basis that it protected the Charter rights of women and others who can get pregnant, and we defended municipal use of the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards to justify rejection of ads. The decision was released on Jan 26 and it was a partial victory for the anti-choice group, but with several silver linings for our side (city not required to run ads – they can reconsider ads by relying on Advertising Code and balancing advertiser’s freedom of expression with gender equality rights that are undermined by the ads).

In December, ARCC decided to intervene in a new lawsuit launched against the City of Hamilton by the right-wing Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA). The case is very similar to the one in Guelph, in that Hamilton refused to run an inaccurate anti-choice bus ad (on the sex selection issue). The case probably won’t be heard until fall 2022.

Federal election: We created a “Quick Election Toolkit” for the September 2021 federal election, endorsed the Up for Debate campaign, and published a press release and article warning that Erin O’Toole is still not pro-choice. After the election, we updated our List of Anti-choice MPs and those with an unknown stance.

Defeat of bill to criminalize sex selection abortion: We helped ensure the June defeat of federal private member Bill C-233 that would have banned sex selection abortion. Some of our arguments against the bill were used by several MPs who spoke against the bill in Parliament – in one case verbatim.

Abortion info brochure for Trans and 2SLGBTQI+ people: We created a national brochure about abortion access for transgender and 2SLGBTQI+ communities, in collaboration with a University of Saskatchewan student. ARCC produced 1,250 glossy copies of these brochures, in both French and English, and mailed them to about 85 abortion clinics, sexual health centres, and 2SLGBTQI+ groups across Canada. They can also be downloaded here.

Solidarity events with Texas: We encouraged and promoted events across Canada on Oct 2 or 3 in solidarity with the U.S. “Women’s March” in all 50 states against the devastating new abortion ban in Texas. We maintained a list of events on our Facebook page. About 15 events were held across Canada, with some also counter-protesting the annual anti-choice “Life Chain”.

Anti-choice graphic images and ads: We continued our project against anti-choice public messaging and graphic images, by tracking instances of graphic imagery across Canada, and contacting local governments to provide info on how to limit or prohibit these and other unacceptable messaging. We focused in particular on the City of London. Working with a local activist, we were successful at getting a proposal approved for a bill that would limit the delivery of graphic flyers, although the bill still needs some work. ARCC sent several letters and submissions to the City.

We lobbied the BC government to introduce a bill that would require graphic flyers of aborted fetuses be placed in envelopes prior to delivery to homes, similar to Bill 259 in Ontario, an initiative of the Viewer Discretion Legislation Coalition. We plan to collect impact letters from affected community members and hope a BC bill will be introduced within a year. We also published an op-ed in June against graphic flyers in the Burnaby Now, and made a June submission to the BC government to include the prohibition of delivery of graphic flyers in its proposed “image abuse” bill against revenge porn, but the A-G decided it was not a good fit for that bill.

Article against Sam Oosterhoff: We published an article on Rabble.ca in March titled “[Sam] Oosterhoff’s extreme anti-choice views should be a ‘bridge too far’ in politics”. Oosterhoff had spoken at an anti-choice event even though one of the organizing groups had compared abortion to the Holocaust. He has a long record as a far-right fundamentalist Christian who opposes Charter rights for women and gender minorities.

Petitions against pandemic funding for anti-choice groups: We launched two petitions demanding that the federal government revoke funding given under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program (CEWS) to 45 anti-choice groups and several hate groups, and to exclude such groups from future eligibility. Both our Parliamentary e-petition and our Change.org petition were submitted to the government in April. The Change.org petition is still open for signatures – we have almost 12,000 so far. However, the government cancelled our e-petition when the election was called. There was no response to the petitions and we will continue to pressure the government.

AccessBC and contraception coverage: We collaborated with AccessBC to promote their campaign for coverage of prescription contraception in BC, such as urging our networks to write letters to MLAs. On World Contraception Day (Sept 21), we issued a joint statement with AccessBC, Action Canada, and others.

“Abortion pill reversal” propaganda: We collaborated with several groups to counter the spread of anti-choice propaganda around the so-called “abortion pill reversal” treatment. Together with Action Canada and the National Abortion Federation, we wrote letters to the federal Health Minister as well as all provincial Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons (with the Society for Gynecologists & Obstetricians joining us for the latter). Our letter urged them to publish warnings on their websites about this unproven and dangerous treatment, and to take disciplinary action against doctors found to be prescribing the treatment. Further work will continue in 2022.

University practicums at CPCs: We supported the Gender Engagement Medical (GEM) group at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine, when it was discovered in June that the College had been sending medical students to a local “crisis pregnancy centre” for practicums. We amplified the story on social media, did media interviews, shared our CPC research and background information with GEM, and connected them with a local doctor who is an ARCC member and was featured in Sask. media. All the pressure caused the College of Medicine to end their association with the CPC. However, we also learned that several other CPCs across Canada partner with local universities and colleges for student practicums, including in social work programs, and have recruited a student to help us target these in 2022.

Bill to mandate delay in pregnant patients receiving info on Down syndrome: We made a January submission to an Ontario government committee regarding provincial private member Bill 225, “Harvey and Gurvir’s Law” (Provision of Information Respecting Down Syndrome). The bill includes a 48-hour waiting period before doctors can provide treatment information to patients, and also mandates doctors by law to provide certain information. (Here’s the bill’s text.) ARCC opposed both these requirements.

CSPO Roundtable on “effective referral”: We attended a roundtable in September hosted by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) to discuss their policy requiring doctors to provide an “effective referral” to patients for treatments they have a moral objection to, such as abortion or medical assistance in dying. ARCC opposes the practice of “conscientious objection” and argues that Ontario’s “effective referral” requirement is inadequate and doesn’t work because many objectors refuse to refer. We urged the CPSO to begin monitoring and disciplining objectors who violate ethical codes.

Manitoba sidelines reproductive health: We issued a press release in February criticizing Manitoba’s anti-choice government for removing reproductive health from the health minister’s portfolio, and transferring it to a minister with no authority over healthcare delivery or funding. This was discriminatory on the basis of gender and dangerous to the health of women and gender non-conforming people. We also sent a statement to Manitoba MLAs.

New ARCC committees: We formed two new internal ARCC committees: a Reproductive Justice Committee and a Fundraising Committee. The RJ committee is taking the lead on the research project with the University of Ottawa (discussed above), while the Fundraising committee worked on various initiatives to increase ARCC’s public profile and raise more funds. This included a successful “donor appreciation” outreach to most ARCC members, a grant proposal to produce a booklet of personal stories related to abortion, and a plan to hold public online workshops in 2022.

Small Grants Program: We continued our Small Grants Program to help small or low-resource reproductive rights groups cover expenses for their projects or campaigns, giving out five grants in 2021 for a total of $1800. We are adding more funds to continue this program in 2022.

National pro-choice network: We continued to lead CAP-Net, an ad-hoc network of about 30 pro-choice groups and sexual health centres across Canada. ARCC assembled this network in 2018 to get to know each other, discuss issues, and support/collaborate with each other. We had two teleconference calls in 2021.

Translated public cards on abortion: We created cards in nine languages, in addition to English and French, with information for the public about abortion rights and access. These will be published imminently on our new Shop page. The nine languages are: Farsi, German, Hindi, Inuktitut, Italian, Mandarin, Polish, Punjabi, and Spanish.

Survey of ARCC allies and members: Early in 2021, we conducted a survey of ARCC’s allied groups, major donors, and active members/volunteers on their perceptions of ARCC and how we could improve. We received 15 responses out of 52 invites, with very favourable ratings and comments overall. ARCC’s Board evaluated the results and incorporated recommended improvements into our work, such as new fundraising and outreach activities, and increased collaboration with allied groups.

Updating Key Resources: We continued to update many key ARCC resources that the public and researchers rely on, including our:

• COVID-19 resource page related to sexual and reproductive health and rights
• List of abortion clinics and support services
• Current statistics on abortion in Canada
• Detailed lists of over 300 Canadian anti-choice groups
• List of anti-choice MPs and those with Unknown stance
• List of anti-choice private member bills and motions since 1987
• Papers on abortion-related court decisions and laws and safe access zones
• Position papers (we’re translating more into French and updating the rest)

Admin: We improved our Membership Management system to optimize efficiency. We also protected our file systems to better ensure confidentiality and sustainability. Over June/July, we recruited and trained a new Treasurer.

Communications:  ARCC carries out a lot of public communication through our website, Mail Chimp lists, and social media, as well as via media work, articles, presentations, and our newsletter:

• As of Feb 9, our Facebook page has 9,216 followers  [2020: 9,133], our Twitter page has 5,314 followers [2020: 4,791], and our Instagram page has 5,002 followers [2020: 3,510]. Thank you to our Social Media Coordinator, Tasia Alexopoulos!
• ARCC spokespeople did about 6-8 speaking engagements and presentations.
• We issued seven press releases in 2021, one of them a joint release with AccessBC.
• In 2021, we produced five issues of our ARCC Spark newsletter for members only.
• Joyce and other ARCC spokespersons carried out 20-30 media interviews over the year.
• We continue to operate two listservs for members only: ARCC Activist and ARCC News, on which we post, respectively, volunteer opportunities and events, and mainstream media stories related to reproductive rights.
• ARCC has three Mail Chimp lists – one for our members with 410 subscribed, a new Public one with 41 subscribers so far, and one for our Supporters with 933 subscribed. (Supporters are donors who didn’t join, expired members, or people who have contacted us.) With the help of Hazel Allen, our Mail Chimp Coordinator, we use these lists to send out our e-newsletter ARCC Spark to members, and various items of interest to our Supporters and the Public several times a year, such as our press releases, petitions, or statements.

Volunteer coordination:  We work with volunteers on a regular basis, which includes training them and supervising their work. The following key volunteers made significant contributions to ARCC over the last year. We are grateful for their commitment:

• Annaliese Downey, CPC research
• Elyce Ross, Membership Manager
• Hazel Allen, Mail Chimp Coordinator / ARCC Spark – C.D.ACtion
• Hong Liu, Translation
• Katelyn Mitchell, CPC project data entry
• Marie-France Gaumont-Leclerc, Translation
• Mary Linville, IT and website maintenance and development
• Olivia Debrabandere, CPC project data entry
• Michelle Cyca, CPC project data entry
• Sarah McLeod, Small Grants Program Coordinator
• Tasia Alexopoulos, Social Media Coordinator, media spokesperson
• Tina Beier, Rabble.ca Blog Coordinator and Writer

A big thank you to them, and all our other volunteers!