TWO winners for the 2019 Peter Gillespie Social Justice Award

Ottawa, April 24, 2019 - Inter Pares is thrilled to recognize the inspiring work of Clinic 554 and the National Aboriginal Council of Midwives with this year’s Peter Gillespie Social Justice Award. For the first time ever, the selection committee has chosen two critical organizations to receive the award: one which is the only out-of-hospital access for abortion services and sole LGBTQ clinic in New Brunswick; and the other which is working towards the sustainable return of birth to Indigenous communities.

Each year, Inter Pares honors the work of a Canadian social justice organization with the Peter Gillespie Social Justice Award – this year’s theme is sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The award will be presented in Ottawa, on April 29th at the Activist Fair: Conversations on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.

This event is an opportunity to meet people who are mobilizing to promote SRHR in Peru, Burma, Sudan, the Philippines and Canada. At the fair, people will interact with the award winners, Inter Pares program managers, as well as our special guest, María Ysabel Cedano, Director of Estudio para la Defensa de los Derechos de la Mujer (DEMUS), an Inter Pares counterpart in Peru.

On learning that Clinic 554 won the social justice award, the clinic’s Medical Director Dr. Adrian Edgar said, “New Brunswick's out-dated healthcare policies disenfranchise our most marginalized patients. But when small communities live in even smaller provinces, it's easy for government to look the other way. That's why national recognition like this is so important to us! We've been unable to get our health authority, our government, or our bureaucrats to see how desperate the need for abortion access and LGBTQ care is here. We're hopeful that this acknowledgement will open their eyes, too.”

Clinic 554 is a family practice devoted to patient-driven healthcare. They are skilled in feminist, trauma-informed, harm reduction, and anti-racist practices and strive to provide the best experience of care to all patients. The practice includes all scopes of medicine, from pediatrics to geriatrics with a focus on reproductive, trans, LGBT/Queer and HIV care.

The National Aboriginal Council of Midwives (NACM) exists to promote excellence in reproductive health care for Inuit, Métis and First Nations women.

“NACM is very excited to be receiving the Peter Gillespie Social Justice Award. At NACM our vision is to see Indigenous midwives in every Indigenous community. We are honoured to have our work recognized by Inter Pares as we continue our work of bringing birth back to our communities," said Claire Dion Fletcher, Indigenous Registered Midwife and NACM Co-Chair.

The Council advocates for the restoration of midwifery education, the provision of midwifery services, and choice of birthplace for all Indigenous communities, consistent with the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Representatives from both Clinic 554 and the National Aboriginal Council of Midwives will be present at the Activist Fair for comment or more information.

– 30 –

For further inquiries, please contact:

Rebecca Wolsak

Tel.: 613 563 4801 ext. 140

rwolsak@interpares.ca

Event Details:

Activist Fair: Conversations on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.

April 29, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health (299 Montreal Rd, Ottawa)

To find out more about the event and to RSVP: Activist Fair: Conversations on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.