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We demand that the Liberal government take back the CEWS funding they gave to anti-choice groups and hate groups. (The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy helps employers pay staff during the pandemic.) Three groups in particular stand out: the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, and Canadian Association for Free Expression, and Citizens for Foreign Aid Reform. The first group opposes the rights of women and transgender people and traumatizes citizens by displaying aborted fetus imagery in public and distributing graphic flyers to private homes. The second and third are white supremacist groups associated with white nationalist Paul Fromm. All these groups should be designated as hate groups ineligible for CEWS funding.

• In 2018, Prime Minister Trudeau said no government funding should go to the CCBR! Watch the short video. (courtesy of Katie Dean, Viewer Discretion Legislation Coalition, London ON) 

A total of 18 anti-choice political or advocacy organizations received CEWS funding, as well as 35 “crisis pregnancy centres” (full lists below). The latter agencies spread misinformation about abortion and try to dissuade people from exercising their right to abortion. At least two anti-2SLGBTQI+ groups also received CEWS funding, including the homophobic Third Day Worship Centre, and Journey Canada, which supports conversion therapy.

We demand that all these groups be required to return their CEWS funding because they seek to remove the rights of women, gender non-conforming people, and other 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Further, the Liberal government must change the criteria for CEWS funding to exclude anti-choice groups and hate groups. The criteria for Canada Summer jobs funding can be adopted for CEWS funding, which disqualifies applicants whose activities “actively work to undermine or restrict a woman’s access to sexual and reproductive health services” or that advocate discrimination.

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Anti-choice political or advocacy organizations that received CEWS funding:

1. Action Life Ottawa
2. Advokate Life & Education Services Society (Abbotsford, BC)
3. Alberta Life Issues Educational Society (Edmonton)
4. Campagne-Quebec-Vie (Montréal)
5. Campaign Life Coalition (Toronto) 
6. Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (Calgary)
7. The Cardus Institute (Hamilton ON)
8. Chilliwack Pro-Life Society (BC)
9. Edmonton Pro-Life Society
10. Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (Richmond Hill ON)
11. Focus on the Family (Canada) (Langley BC)
12. Hamilton Right to Life
13. LifeSiteNews.com (Toronto)
14. New Brunswick Right to Life Association (Fredericton)
15. REAL Women of Canada (Ottawa)
16. Right to Life Association of Toronto and Area
17. Signal Hill Life Education Society (Langley BC)
18. The Wilberforce Project (Alberta Pro-Life Alliance Assoc.) (Edmonton)

Crisis Pregnancy Centres that received CEWS funding:

1. Atwell Centre (Hamilton)
2. Brampton Life Centre
3. Brantford/Brant County Crisis Pregnancy Centre (ON)
4. Calgary Pregnancy Care Centre Association
5. Cambridge Pregnancy Resource Centre (ON)
6. Central Alberta Pregnancy Care Centre Society
7. Christian Advocacy Society of Greater Vancouver
8. Cochrane Pregnancy Care Centre Association (AB)
9. Crossroads Community Association (Brooks AB)
10. Family Support Centre of Winnipeg / Crisis Pregnancy Centre of Winnipeg
11. First Place Maternal Health Options (Kanata ON)
12. Grey Bruce Pregnancy Centre (Owen Sound ON)
13. Grimsby Life Centre Ministries (Grimsby ON)
14. Haldimand Pregnancy Care & Family Centre (Dunnville ON) 
15. Hope Pregnancy & Family Support Centre (Brantford ON)
16. Hope Pregnancy Support Centre (Parry Sound ON)
17. Island Pregnancy Care & Support Services (Charlottetown PE) 
18. Lambton Crisis Pregnancy Centre (The Pregnancy Centre) (Petrolia ON)
19. Lethbridge Pregnancy Care Centre 
20. Life is for Everyone Crisis Pregnancy Centre (TLC The Life Centre) (Newmarket ON)
21. London Crisis Pregnancy Centre (ON)
22. Medicine Hat Pregnancy Support Society (Nurture Pregnacy Centre) (AB) 
23. Niagara Life Centre (St. Catharines ON)
24. Niagara Life Welland Centre / Elisha House Pregnancy and Family Support Centre (Welland ON)
25. Okanagan Valley Pregnancy Care Centre (Kelowna BC)
26. Outreach for Life Association of Edmonton
27. Peterborough Pregnancy Support Services
28. Pregnancy & Wellness Centre of Moncton (NB)
29. Pregnancy Support Centre of Westman / Kairos Maternity Home (MB)
30. Southfraser Pregnancy Options Society (Surrey BC)
31. Sussex and Area Crisis Pregnancy Centre (NB)
32. The Valley Care Pregnancy Centre (Kentville NS)
33. Vernon Live Well Clinic for Sexual Health and Pregnancy (BC) 
34. Victoria Pregnancy Centre Society (BC)

References

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) Registry - Search page 

Bank of China, anti-abortion groups among coronavirus wage subsidy recipients. Amanda Connolly, Global News, Dec 21, 2020. 

Officials mum on how much Bank of China, anti-abortion groups got in wage subsidy. Amanda Connolly, Global News. Dec 22, 2020. 

Group Run By Canadian Neo-Nazi Received Federal COVID Relief Funds. Rachel Browne, Vice World News. Dec 22, 2020. 

Merry Christmas: Here’s Every Right-Wing Group That Applied For Wage Subsidies From ‘Big Government’ This Year. Press Progress. Dec 24, 2020.

Groups Opposing LGBTQ Rights, Abortion Received Federal Wage Subsidy. Samantha Beattie, HuffPost Canada. Jan 21, 2021.

(Photo by Dan Mesec, The Tyee)