Misogyny is everywhere, and it's in the budget

Below is part of my speech about misogyny in politics, the legislature, and in the budget:

I want to be clear about what we’re talking about when we talk about misogyny. [3:30 p.m.] Misogyny, in and of itself, the word, Speaker, is not unparliamentary. It is a word. It is a thing. It’s defined as this: It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practised for thousands of years. It is reflected in art, literature, human societal structure, historical events, mythology, philosophy, and religion worldwide. I didn’t just make it up. I didn’t just pretend that I knew way more than everyone else in this Chamber and decide to slap a word onto what I experienced yesterday in the Chamber. It’s a real thing. Misogyny and sexism are sometimes hard to see because they’re insidious. They’re omnipresent. It’s everywhere. We’re so used to it that we don’t even notice when it’s happening. That’s because of misogyny. It’s because of patriarchy, and because of all the reasons. It’s colonization. It’s the things that have created our society and the way it is, and this budget suffers from it. There is not a woman on this planet who hasn’t in some way experienced it -even women who have great partners. Even women who have had great lives, who are powerful women, and who have never experienced overt sexism have experienced misogyny or internalized misogyny. It’s hard to see sometimes, but there’s no denying the effects. It’s why women earn less than men. It’s why women are judged on their clothing. It’s why women are judged for their career choices or for even choosing to have a career, and not stay home and take care of the kids, or to stay home and take care of the kids and not have a career. Basically, women can’t get any of that right, ever, according to someone. It’s why women are disproportionately the victims of assault and harassment. It’s why I could not leave the hospital when I had my baby -because I had to call my ex-husband and get him to tell me the date of our divorce so I could prove that I was divorced from him before I left the hospital with my baby. Come on. It’s why we constantly second guess our instincts and ask, “Was that okay?” after I speak or say something that I really believe in. “Do I look okay?” “Was that okay?” “I feel a little fat today.” It’s why we’re told to smile more. It’s why when we question the merits of a powerful man’s policy decision, that powerful man will call us negative and question our reputations rather than engage in the merits of the arguments. We see this all over in politics. Women and particularly women leaders -leaders of parties, leaders of countries, leaders of provinces -are characterized as negative, and that characterization is misogyny. When I attend these Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians meetings -I would love to be able to go to Australia next year, although I don’t know that my leader is going to let me go on that trip, but that’s another story -I would love to be able to say that Nova Scotia is all set for women to join this Legislature, all set for women to open businesses, all set for women to do everything they can to live their best lives. But I can’t do that. I would love to be able to say that whether you’re in the government or in the Opposition, or whether you hold important, powerful positions in non-partisan offices like the Auditor General, being at the helm of Elections Nova Scotia, or being the Information and Privacy Commissioner -no matter what part of politics you want to engage in -I would love to be able to say that your voice will be valued and that you can count on the fact that Nova Scotia makes policies and laws that are created using a gender-sensitive lens. Unfortunately, when I go to those meetings -when I represent our Province and our country on the international stage -I will not be able to say that. I would love for this government -whether it be the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board or someone else in the government -to table the documents and the lens throughwhich this budget has been examined according to gender. Show us the metrics. Show us the documents. If ministers are asked in Estimates, “Has your budget gone through a gender-sensitive lens?” and they say “Yes,” then show us where. Show us how. Show us the questions. Show us how we examined every line of this budget to make sure that it honours, protects, and uplifts women. There should be nothing less in this Chamber, and we should stop being misogynists.

Dense breast screening

On March 6, 2024 I spoke in the Nova Scotia Legislature about the need for follow up screening for people with dense breasts. Here’s what I said:

Mme Speaker, I rise today to call on the government to change the policy regarding follow up breast screening for people with dense breasts. Currently in Nova Scotia, people with breast density category C or D (that is, the densest breasts), are made aware of their breast density rating. That means, that when they get a regular mammogram, any signs of cancer or other issues could be obscured by the dense breast tissue. The problem is that in NS, if someone has dense breasts, they don’t have access to screening that could detect cancers accurately and prevent spread of the disease. I represent a women, and probably many women, in this situation. Women whose cancer was undetected because they couldn’t get access to follow up breast screening, and was in stage 4 before they were diagnosed. Cancer, if detected early, has a much better chance of being defeated. A person’s quality of life is generally going to be better with less treatment. Cancer is cheaper to treat if detected early. It only makes sense that we offer followup screening to all people with breast density C and D. I urge the government to change this policy as soon as possible.

IWK's Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic

SUSAN LEBLANC: I want to introduce a few people from the Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic at the IWK Health Centre who have joined us today. They’re over in the gallery opposite, and as I say their names, I’ll ask them to rise. Dr. Allanna Munro is an anaesthesiologist who specializes in chronic pelvic pain. Leah Pink is a nurse practitioner who works in the clinic. Linda MacEachern is a social worker who provides pain education and counselling at the clinic. Kathryn Hawkins is a pelvic floor physiotherapist who provides pain education and treatment in the clinic. Also working in the clinic but not present today are two gynecologists who specialize in endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain: Dr. Elizabeth Randle and Dr. Brigid Nee. Also, we would like to welcome today Maggie Archibald and Faith Lamoureux, who have shared their stories of accessing care for endometriosis in Nova Scotia. Of course, all of this is in light of the fact that today, March 1st, marks the beginning of the very first Endometriosis Awareness Month in Nova Scotia. I would like everyone to welcome our guests.

THE SPEAKER: Welcome, and thank you for being here and for all that you do. The honourable member for Dartmouth North. IWK CHRONIC PAIN CLINIC: IMPORTANT WORK -THANKS

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, I rise today to recognize the work of the IWK Health Centre’s Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic. In 2021 the clinic opened, the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada, thanks to the hard work and advocacy of clinicians and the public. When it opened, nurse Leah Pink said: “Drawing on the expertise of multiple health care professionals and by using innovative strategies to provide care we will better meet the needs of this underserviced patient population.” This interdisciplinary care model is the gold standard. Endometriosis costs our medical system in ER visits and many often-unnecessary tests, due to a lack of understanding and the long delays people face in getting diagnosis and treatment. It also costs those who suffer from endometriosis in wages lost while unable to work, and time away from family and friends, and pain and money for physiotherapy, and other out-ofpocket expenses to manage chronic pain. Thanks to this clinic, more Nova Scotians have access to the treatment and support they need as well as qualified support. I ask the House to join me in thanking Dr. Allana Munro, Leah Pink, Linda MacEachern, Kathryn Hawkins, and their colleagues for their work in expanding badly needed endometriosis care in our province.

Government Must Fund More Midwives in Nova Scotia

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, midwifery-led births account for only 5 per cent of total births in Nova Scotia, far below the national average of 14 per cent, and I can table that. This is a disservice for expectant mothers in Nova Scotia, given many positive health outcomes associated. Midwifery support leads to more natural births, a decrease in C-sections and surgical interventions, easier breastfeeding initiation, and it decreases the chance of having a pre-term birth. Not only does it take the stress off new moms, but it also takes stress off our hospitals. Does the Minister of Health and Wellness recognize the importance of midwifery care in our health care system?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: I spoke about this yesterday in the Chamber. Certainly, midwives have a role to play in prenatal, obstetrical, and gynecological care. In fact, there are things that they can do around supporting women’s wellness. We have a couple of areas outside of the city. IWK has some midwives, and we do have some areas. It certainly is not easy to maintain the staffing complement in those areas. We’re also making sure that midwives are part of a team. We need to ensure that they have nurses who are around them. We need to make sure they have primary care physicians who do obstetrics. We need to make sure they have specialty services to support them. Yes, many deliveries are usual and regular, but we need to make sure that they have the infrastructure around them. We do continue to look at women’s health issues, and we’ll continue to assess the situation as we move forward.

SUSAN LEBLANC: As the minister’s response shows, it’s hard to ignore the benefits of midwives that they add to our health care system. Investment in midwives is simply a smart policy, yet there are only 16 funded positions and 3 practices in the province. Many communities across Nova Scotia, as the minister said, lack essential midwifery care. The budget yesterday was a missed opportunity for this government to address the critical shortage. Why is this government not investing in midwives? MICHELLE THOMPSON: Nova Scotians are not missing out on good, quality, excellent obstetrical and gynecological care in this province, and midwives are a part of that team, but they are not the only members on that team. We know that midwives play a role. We have 16 positions. To date, they have been very difficult to date to fill. We continue to work with Nova Scotia Health and IWK to better understand how to support them.

THE SPEAKER: Order. The time allotted for Oral Questions Put by Members to Ministers has expired.

Susan Leblanc pushes government to commit to free birth control for all in N.S.

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. For many Nova Scotians, the cost of birth control prevents them from accessing this basic form of health care. It’s estimated that one in three Nova Scotian workers do not have health benefits, and not all benefit plans offer equal coverage of the care. Insufficient access to birth control leads to worsened health, well-being, and socio-economic outcomes for patients, families, and communities. The minister has worked extensively as a health care provider. Does she find it acceptable that so many Nova Scotians can’t access this important medication?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: Certainly, we’re looking at universal birth control over the last number of months. We know that there are a number of people, through Family Pharmacare, who can access birth control, providing that there is a medication component. I certainly know in the instance of IUDs, in order for those to be covered under Family Pharmacare, there does need to be a medicinal and hormonal component to that. We continue to look at ways to support Nova Scotians. We also know that through the Department of Community Services, as well, there’s free birth control available to those who meet the criteria. We are working all the time to cover things that are important to Nova Scotians, and we’ll continue to do that review.

SUSAN LEBLANC: The minister will know that there are gaps in providing contraception. Earlier this year, British Columbia became the first province to provide access to free prescription contraception.Nova Scotia needs to follow suit. It’s estimated that for every dollar spent on contraception access, there’s up to $90 in public savings. The Access Now Nova Scotia Coalition has called on government to urgently address this issue, supported by organizations like the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia College of Family Physicians, the Dalhousie Department of Pediatrics, the Dalhousie Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the North End Community Health Centre, and many others. I will table that list. Will the minister commit to ensuring that every Nova Scotian has access to no-cost contraception?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: Our Pharmacare Program is under incredible pressure, as we all know. Not only do we have advancing technologies and therapies, but we also know the costs of drugs are going up. As a department, we continue to look at what we’re best able to supply to Nova Scotians. We want to make sure we have things that are accessible to them and that are needed. There are always competing priorities, and we will continue to balance and look at those over the coming months. We will do what we can to support Nova Scotians.