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“One only needs to listen to the testimony of survivors to know that conversion therapy is an abhorrent practice that has no place in Canada,” said Larry Brown, NUPGE President. “Lives are on the line. We’re happy to see the government finally take action and ban conversion therapy.”
Ottawa (08 Dec. 2021) — The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is extremely pleased that both the House of Commons and Senate voted unanimously to fast-track Bill C-4. NUPGE supports the strong wording of the bill that bans the practice outright to protect all LGBTQI2S+ people in Canada.
The bill, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy), now needs only Royal Assent before it becomes law. Bill C-4 will make it illegal to advertise, practice, or profit from conversion therapy in Canada and will make it a crime to send a child for conversion therapy outside Canada.
Previous attempts to pass similar bill failed
Work done by activists and advocacy groups forced the government to pay attention to the conversation around conversion therapy. In a 2019 mandate letter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tasked David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, with amending the Criminal Code to ban conversion therapy.
In its original form, Bill C-6 was pushed down on the agenda to debate pandemic legislation. When it finally did hit the floor, Conservative opposition tied up Bill C-6 in the House due to unwarranted criticism that the bill would criminalize conversations between parents or clergy and children. When it was finally passed in the House, the Senate did not add it to their agenda, nor did they agree to meet virtually to study the bill throughout the summer. Bill C-6 ultimately died on paper when the 2021 federal election was called in the fall.
A win for LGBTQI2S people in Canada
NUPGE has been an outspoken advocate for banning conversion therapy in Canada. It should not have taken this long for legislation banning conversion therapy to be written. Experts from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) issued a statement against conversion therapy in 2012, and the UN Independent Expert on Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity issued a statement against conversion therapy in 2021.
“This type of strict legislation is what’s needed to outlaw the practice of conversion therapy,” said Bert Blundon, NUPGE Secretary-Treasurer. “It’s our hope that other countries will follow suit.”
“One only needs to listen to the testimony of survivors to know that conversion therapy is an abhorrent practice that has no place in Canada,” said Larry Brown, NUPGE President. “Lives are on the line. We’re happy to see the government finally take action and ban conversion therapy.”