Skip to main content

Conservative MP's bill on conscience rights fails, but gets Poilievre's support

Conservative MP Kelly Block rises during Statements in the House of Commons Wednesday March 10, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Conservative MP Kelly Block rises during Statements in the House of Commons Wednesday March 10, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Share
OTTAWA -

Nearly all Conservative members of Parliament voted for a bill they say would protect the conscience rights of health professionals when it comes to medical assistance in dying.

The private member's bill was defeated in the House of Commons Wednesday by a vote of 203 to 115, despite getting support from most Tories, including their new leader, Pierre Poilievre.

The bill was introduced by Kelly Block, a Conservative MP from rural Saskatchewan who hails from the party's social conservative wing, which champions the issue of conscience rights.

The governing Liberals and MPs from the NDP and Bloc Québécois voted against the proposed law, which sought to change the Criminal Code to protect health professionals from having to "directly or indirectly" participate in medical assistance in dying.

The Conservatives saw 114 votes cast in favour of the bill. The House of Commons website shows no votes were registered for Melissa Lantsman, one of the party's two deputy leaders, as well as MPs Eric Duncan, Dave Epp and Richard Martel.

Kevin Vuong, an Independent MP for the downtown Toronto riding of Spadina-Fort York, also supported Block's bill and appears to be the only non-Conservative to have done so.

Block's proposal would have made it an offence to intimidate or fire a health-care worker who refuses to provide a medically assisted death or provide a referral for the service.

The Liberal government has long said there is nothing in its legislation that forces a health professional to "provide or help to provide" the procedure if it conflicts with their personal beliefs.

Ontario's Court of Appeal has also ruled that allowing doctors to refuse to provide referrals would stigmatize already vulnerable patients and restrict their access to medical services.

Despite that, many Conservatives oppose the federal Liberal government's handling of its medical assistance in dying regime, and feel there are not enough protections in place for those in health care.

Block released a statement after Wednesday's vote, saying there is growing concern among medical professionals they "may be forced to participate" in the procedure, given plans for its expansion.

Campaign Life Coalition, an anti-abortion organization that backs Tory MPs who also oppose the procedure, applauded Block's proposal after it failed Wednesday.

Proponents of conscience rights have in the past been clear they feel they should apply to a range of medical services, including abortion and gender reassignment surgery.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2022.  

IN DEPTH

Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?

Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

opinion

opinion Don Martin: ArriveCan debacle may be even worse than we know from auditor's report

It's been 22 years since a former auditor general blasted the Chretien government after it 'broke just about every rule in the book' in handing out private sector contracts in the sponsorship scandal. In his column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says the book has been broken anew with everything that went on behind the scenes of the 'dreaded' ArriveCan app.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Local Spotlight

N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49

A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.

Record-setting pop tab collection for Ontario boy

It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.

Stay Connected