Nova Scotia NDP leader says province cutting care for women
Posted Mar 3, 2026 05:12:32 AM.
Last Updated Mar 3, 2026 11:24:45 AM.
Nova Scotia’s official opposition is calling on the province to create a women’s health strategy.
On Monday, NDP leader Claudia Chender said in a release that Tim Houston’s PC government is doing little to address women’s healthcare woes.
A recent study conducted by the IWK in late 2025 suggested 75 per cent of women in the Maritimes admitted they have delayed or avoided seeking healthcare because they have too many responsibilities, are worried about not being heard by their doctor, and downplay their health concerns.
The study showed 86 per cent of respondents agreed that significant changes are needed to improve women’s health in the province.
Chender says the province cut women’s health research and trauma-informed care at the IWK, as well as the caregiver benefit.
She went on to say that Nova Scotia still hasn’t delivered the promised Menopause Centre of Excellence, free birth control or take-home cervical cancer screening tests.
The NDP have tabled legislation to create a task force of health care professionals, policymakers and researchers involved in healthcare for women and gender diverse people, and patients with experience of women’s health issues.
“Women and gender diverse Nova Scotians deserve better. We matter. Our health matters,” said Chender in the release. “Tim Houston got elected on a commitment to fix health care, and today we’re demanding that he keep that promise, for all of us.”
By the numbers as per the report
- Nearly one in five respondents (21%) described themselves as being in crisis.
- Nearly half of all participants (48%) do not feel informed about the next stage of their health journey.
- 56 per cent of women report health issues that actively disrupt their day-to-day life
Top issues women want prioritized:
- Menopause (48%), Hormonal Health (42%), and Perimenopause (38%)
- Stress (47%), Anxiety (44%), Depression (42%)
- Obesity/weight management (42%)
- Sleep disorders (33%)
- Heart disease (31%)
- Cancer (29%)
