Winnipeg, MB – Brian Pallister cuts have directly targeted women and undermined their health – that is according to experts and front-line health care professionals. He has set women’s healthcare back years. It’s time for these cuts to end.

“Brian Pallister has shown a complete disregard for the health of women and girls – his cuts have targeted women’s health care and have put women’s health at risk,” said Nahanni Fontaine, NDP candidate for St. Johns. “He’s closed clinics and cut services while denying women across Manitoba access to medicine essential to reproductive health – why should women in Manitoba believe Pallister now?”

Here is Pallister’s Record: “An unprecedented assault” on Women’s Health:

• Closed the Mature Women’s Health Centre –an “unprecedented assault on women’s health” according to Dr. Richard Borditsky, Medical Director of the Centre

• Cut $25,000 from the mobile breast cancer screening unit, BreastCheck, making it harder for women in rural and remote communities to be screened for breast cancer, after cutting $2.5 million from CancerCare

• Closed the Obstetrics unit in Flin Flon, forcing hundreds of women to travel hundreds of kilometres more to give birth

• Refused to let the Health Minister answer questions about women’s reproductive healthfor three years, while also refusing to cover the cost of mifegymiso for women living in rural and northern communities

• Pallister voted against a bill to establish buffer zones in clinics that provide abortions to keep women safe

• Fired two lactation consultants from the WRHA, while forcing hospitals to ration mesh underwear for women who have just given birth

“Pallister’s own health minister even refused to answer questions about women’s reproductive health - that’s outrageous. It’s clear Pallister doesn’t care about the real damage he is causing women across the province,” said Fontaine. “The NDP has a plan to stand up for women and women’s health and it starts by undoing the damage caused by Pallister’s cuts to our health care system”.