Federal government to introduce beefed-up bill to ban conversion therapy in Canada

Ontario | Politics |

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Published November 29, 2021 at 8:48 am

Gemma Hickey poses for a photograph in Toronto, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. Federal Ministers are preparing to announce the publication of a new bill which would ban practices designed to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity, commonly called "conversion therapy". THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin

OTTAWA — The federal government is preparing to table a new, tougher bill on Monday (Nov. 29) in its latest effort to ban conversion therapy in Canada.

The legislation, if passed, would make practices designed to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity illegal.

The latest bill is widely expected to close some loopholes present in the last piece of legislation to tackle the issue, which fell short of becoming law during the last parliamentary session.

The last bill failed to get through the Senate before the federal election in September and died on the order paper when Parliament was dissolved ahead of the vote.

It banned conversion therapy for children and those adults who did not consent to it, but the latest version of the bill is expected to bar the practice outright.

Justice Minister David Lametti and Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien are expected to explain their intention to change the law Monday alongside survivors of conversion therapy.

The bill is likely to win support from the NDP, the Bloc Québecois, the Green Party and many Conservative MPs, including party leader Erin O’Toole. More than half of the Tory caucus opposed the government’s previous attempt to clamp down on the practice.

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