How is the Period Priority Project advocating for menstrual health? 
Last year, I started a local grassroots initiative called the Period Priority Project in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Within one year, we distributed over 18500 pads, tampons, period underwear and menstrual cups across Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Yukon. We set up free menstrual products stations in the gender inclusive washrooms at Memorial University, Marine Institute, St. John’s College and the College of the North Atlantic in Corner Brook. We partnered with the Prince of Wales Collegiate to host free reusable cloth pads sewing workshops for students. We hosted presentations in schools on period shaming and period poverty. We have a podcast where guest speakers shared lived experiences on endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, navigating menstruation as a plus-sized woman, and autoimmune diseases and menstruation, inter-alia. We launched an interactive initiative called “People who Period” where folks share their first period stories, advice for youth, ideal period care kits, etc. We also have a digital resource bank on menstrual health education that is accessible to  educators and students. We recently launched a new initiative called “Degendering Menstruation” which aims to amplify the diversity of menstrual experiences. The Period Priority Project acknowledges the fact that not all cisgender women menstruate and not all those who menstruate are cisgender women; trans folks, intersex individuals, non-binary and Two-Spirit people may also menstruate. We are degendering menstruation. We are campaigning for period inclusivity. 

We are also the first and only initiative in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador that focuses solely on menstrual equity. While we have achieved some menstrual equity by breaking barriers and challenging stereotypes, we still have a long way to go to eradicate period poverty. Last year, for Menstrual Hygiene Day, we requested the Facilities Management at Memorial University to set up our baskets of free pads and tampons in the gender inclusive washrooms for students and staff. This initiative has been picked up by multiple workplaces across St. John’s as well as educational institutions, highlighting that there has always been a lack of access and affordability of period products. 

This year, the Period Priority Project is calling on the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to include period products in the province’s Medical Care Plan (MCP) because menstrual health is a public health crisis. 

Who is impacted , what is at stake and why is now the time to act?
Tampons can cost between $16 to $45 a package in remote Indigenous communities which means that some youth use socks instead of tampons in Nunavut, while others have to miss school in Saskatchewan. Sustainable alternatives such as menstrual cups and reusable cloth pads are not a convenient option for all youth. Washing and caring for reusable period products requires clean, sanitary water which is not a reality due to the 34 long-term drinking water advisories on reserves, including some that have been in place for more than 25 years, such as Neskantaga First Nation in northern Ontario.

In partnership with Leger, Plan International Canada conducted an online survey in April 2023 of 1,000 women aged 18-plus. The key findings are as follows:

• 82% of Canadian respondents who menstruate believe that period products are expensive, and this increases to 88% among menstruators aged 18 to 24.
• 82% of women in Canada support access to free period products in public washrooms, and 95% of 18- to 24-year-old women agree.
• One in five women have felt judged or like they were treated unfairly at work or in their relationships because of their period.
• 78% of 18- to 24-year-old women have felt the need to hide their period at school or work, and a shocking 51% have felt the need to hide their period at home.
• More than half (54%) of women aged 18 to 24 have felt embarrassed talking about their experiences with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
• 52% of 18- to 24-year-old women think the word "period" is considered dirty or inappropriate in Canadian society.
• 65% of Canadian women either did not receive any menstrual-health education – on anatomy, PMS, hygiene and related topics – or did but it wasn't comprehensive.
• Around half (52%) of respondents regularly avoid discussing periods and PMS with men in their personal or social circles due to shame or discomfort.

Period Priority Project is also calling on Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador to partner with retail pharmacies to provide free menstrual products for post-secondary students. A similar approach was adopted by the Ontario government in partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart where the latter provides 6 million menstrual products per year to school boards. While we acknowledge that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced details for making period products available to students in the K-12 school system in October 2021, we are pushing for access to menstrual products for post-secondary students as well who have the right to bleed with dignity too.