Liberals set to bring in tougher version of bill to ban conversion therapy
The Liberal government is set to introduce a tougher version of its earlier bill to ban conversion therapy, which failed to pass before Parliament was dissolved for the election.
Nicholas Schiavo of the advocacy group No Conversion Canada says he has been told by government representatives that the new bill will "leave less room for loopholes."
The coming proposed legislation would make it illegal to try to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity through a discredited practice known as conversion therapy.
A previous bill, known as C-6, would have made it a criminal offence to force adults to undergo conversion therapy without their "consent." But it outlawed conversion therapy for children outright.
The House of Commons passed the bill but it didn't make it through the Senate before the upper chamber rose for the summer, and it ultimately died when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the election in August.
The Liberals promised to reintroduce a version of the bill within the first 100 days of a new mandate, which began when cabinet ministers were sworn in last month.
Chantalle Aubertin, a spokeswoman for Justice Minister David Lametti, said the government is committed to a "complete ban" on conversion therapy.
Schiavo said his organization expects the new version of the bill to be stronger than the last and introduced within weeks of the new Parliament starting.
"Our expectation -- what we have heard -- is that upcoming legislation will introduce a complete ban on conversion practices without any loopholes for age, gender identity or faith," he said.
Bill C-6 was heavily amended and opposed by more than half the Conservative caucus the last time around. It was strongly supported by other parties.
Critics said it was flawed because "consent" to conversion therapy is invalid, on the grounds that the practice does harm and is discredited.
Many young people who have "consented" to the practice do not understand what they are getting into, or do so under duress from family or faith leaders, said No Conversion Canada.
The new bill is expected to have a broader scope, making using coercion or persuasive techniques to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity illegal throughout Canada.
Conversion therapy has included electric-shock therapy and intensive sessions to repress non-heterosexual sexual attraction.
"Last time around, C-6 was a good start but one of the biggest problems was they created these big loopholes for adults: adults could consent to it. Our rebuttal was that you can't consent to fraud," said Schiavo.
"We are very optimistic to see a stronger bill than last time and a stronger bill would completely and totally outlaw these practices that cause harm. We have spoken with several legal experts who say a ban would withstand any charter challenge."
The Liberals have been consulting other parties to try to garner political support before the bill is introduced. The Bloc Quebecois, the NDP and the Conservative leadership is expected to back the bill.
Erin O'Toole has said he supports and end to conversion therapy, as do many of his MPs. But others voted against earlier attempts to stop the practice, saying Bill C-6 risked criminalizing conversations with faith leaders and therapists.
Conversion therapy is banned in many countries around the world, including Malta and Germany. New Zealand is in the process of finalizing a ban.
The bill is expected to include provisions to ensure that freedom of speech, including private discussions and sermons in religious settings are not outlawed as a side-effect, as well as discussions about gender identity.
NDP MP Randall Garrison, critic for LGBTQ rights, said he will be looking closely to see if there are any loopholes in the fine print of the bill that would allow conversion therapy to continue.
Garrison said it is "beyond time to ban the extremely harmful practice of conversion `therapy' that has hurt thousands of Canadians."
"Justin Trudeau and the Liberals promised to ban this practice but called a selfish election instead, killing the bill and leaving more Canadians at risk. From day one, Justin Trudeau had a clear and willing partner to expedite this legislation to ban this barbaric conversion 'therapy' and bring justice and peace to those suffering," he said in a statement.
Schiavo said he hoped the Tory leader ensures that all his MPs vote for the new bill. "I do not believe there should be votes of conscience on issues that are unconscionable," he said.
One survivor of conversion therapy said the experience drove them to attempt suicide.
Gemma Hickey, who is nonbinary, was subjected to "faith-based" conversion therapy as a teenager in St. John's. They came from a staunchly Catholic family and were assigned the female gender at birth. When they became attracted to a girl in high school, they went to a family doctor for advice.
The doctor referred Hickey to a therapist who convinced the teen they were attracted to girls because they wanted to be like them, and that homosexuality was not natural and "against God." The trauma from the experience drove Hickey to intentionally overdose on pills and alcohol.
"The first people I told (about my sexuality) were medical professionals and they sent me on a path that led me to try to kill myself. I was 17 years old," Hickey said.
The therapist was not advertising as a "conversion therapist," Hickey said, but she was "very Catholic" and her therapy was largely faith-based.
"It was most to do with prayer and reading a lot of literature that supported her analysis of me. She told me it wasn't natural."
After the overdose, and a hospital stay, a psychiatrist reassured Hickey that there was nothing wrong with them and the "therapy" they had received had been mistaken. Today, Hickey is a prominent LGBTQ rights activist.
Another survivor recalled that he was 19 when, with the encouragement of his family, he became involved in an evangelical church in Kingston, Ont.
Ben Rodgers, now an HIV activist, said he underwent rituals which involved starving for days before church members laid hands on him and spoke in tongues to drive out the demons.
As an active member of the church, he was told he would not be able to attend Bible school or go on a mission if he continued to be gay. He was told that stopping his gay life could "get my mom to love me again."
"They fed on insecurities. I had to cut everything from my old gay life," he recalled. "They did prayers over me and I remember hands on my shoulders and yelling at me in these tongues and casting out demons. I had couples from this church telling me 'this is a proper relationship, read over this and find what love really is.' I had to lead a non-gay life for a little over a year and a half."
"One of biggest things I hated about it," Rodgers added, "is that religion and faith was supposed to a place of comfort and peace, and instead it became a place of fear and loathing and hatred."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2021.
IN DEPTH
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
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.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Some Canadian families will receive up to $620 per child today
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Ontario woman loses $15,000 to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Local Spotlight
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly on a mission: N.S. student collecting books about women in sport for school library
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Marmot in the city: New resident of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale a 'rock star rodent'
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
Relocated seal returns to Greater Victoria after 'astonishing' 204-kilometre trek
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Ottawa barber shop steps away from Parliament Hill marks 100 years in business
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
'It was a special game': Edmonton pinball player celebrates high score and shout out from game designer
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
'Why not do it together?': Lifelong friends take part in 'brosectomy' in Vancouver
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.