e-4844 (Health)

The Minister of Health has a responsibility to protect and promote the health of all Canadians, including fertility care. The Government is working to ensure all Canadians have access to the sexual and reproductive health services they need, no matter where they live in Canada.

Health care is a shared responsibility between the Government of Canada and the provinces and territories. The federal government’s primary role in supporting health care is to provide funding to the provinces and territories, while the provincial and territorial governments administer and deliver health care services. This includes deciding what services will be covered through provincial health insurance, and for whom.

More and more Canadians, including single people, members of the 2SLGBTQI+  community, older women, and infertile couples, are turning to assisted human reproduction procedures to start and build their families. The Government recognizes the importance for the Assisted Human Reproduction Act to continue to reflect advances in science, as well as the views of Canadians. For this reason, the Government has supported the development of regulations to reduce risks to human health and safety arising from the use of donor sperm and ova, clarify reimbursable expenses for donors and surrogates, and allow for the administration and enforcement of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act.

The Government of Canada is committed to supporting fertility care. For example, in 2022, the Income Tax Act was amended, as proposed in Budget 2022, to expand the list of eligible medical expenses under the Medical Expense Tax Credit to include more of the costs related to the use of reproductive technologies, making conception of a child more affordable. Coverage now includes amounts paid to fertility clinics and medical expenses of a surrogate mother.  Everyone in Canada, regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, or family structure, should have an equitable opportunity to become a parent, if they choose to do so.

In addition, the Government of Canada continues to demonstrate its commitment to improving access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care support, information and services for Canadians who face the greatest barriers to access, and to generate knowledge about SRH for health care providers . Health Canada’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund was created in 2021; through Budget 2021 and 2023, $81 million has been committed to the fund over six years. Since 2021, the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund (SRHF) has committed $36.1M to community organizations to help make sexual and reproductive health care information and services more accessible for underserved populations. A per capita amount of $16.7 million has been provided to Quebec for sexual and reproductive health priorities in the province.