For immediate release
June 27, 2019
Ottawa, ON – To mark the 50th anniversary of abortion’s legalization under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, several producers have worked with a Calgary-based filmmaker in putting together The Missing Project. This is a two-part initiative that began with the release of daily short video stories on how abortion has impacted Canadians. That 50-day process culminates this Canada Day weekend with the exclusive online release of a full-length documentary.
The Missing Project documentary is a 70-minute film that documents what is missing in our nation because of fifty years of legal abortion.
Filmmaker and producer Ryan Stockert gathered stories from lawyers, politicians, medical professionals, post-abortive women and men, adopted children, foster families, and advocates. “We called the documentary ‘The Missing Project’ because so much of the abortion discussion is missing from public spaces,” said Stockert. “I always thought abortion is a private discussion and no one else should be involved. But as I’ve talked to Canadians across the country, it’s clear the stories of Canadians affected by abortion need to be heard.”
The release of The Missing Project falls on the eve of the 2019 Federal Election. Prime Minister Trudeau has spent much of the past four years convincing Canadians he is a feminist, and a big part of that is sharing his obsession with abortion access, both in Canada and developing countries. Mike Schouten, director of We Need a Law, and co-producer of the film, emphasizes that, “The Missing Project takes an honest look at the personal stories of those negatively impacted by abortion. Lack of information, lack of support, lack of choice. None of the good things Trudeau thinks abortion does.”
“The abortion debate continues – and must continue – in Canadian politics,” Schouten notes. “But the people whose experiences are documented in The Missing Project show that abortion is much more than a political issue. It is a tragedy that political leaders continue to use abortion, and their commitment to withholding rights from these smallest human beings, to secure votes for themselves, or scare Canadians away from voting for others. Canada is the only democracy in the world that refuses to deal with the legality of abortion. This is a reality that needs to be changed, certainly not something to be celebrated.”