On Thursday, Liberal Member of Parliament Mark Gerretsen presented a bill for First Reading in the House of Commons.
This bill, named Bill C-404, aims to officially recognize January 7th as National Conversion Therapy Awareness Day. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the harmful practice of conversion therapy across the country.
If passed, Bill C-404 will establish a designated day annually to educate and inform the public about the dangers of conversion therapy.
Canada officially prohibited conversion therapy with the passing of Bill C-6 in 2020 and the subsequent Bill C-4 in 2021, which imposed even stricter regulations.
The new legislation came into force in 2022 after both the Senate and the House of Commons unanimously approved Bill C-4 in December 2021. As of January 7, 2022, any form of conversion therapy is now considered unlawful in Canada.
.@MarkGerretsen introduced Bill #C404 in the #HoC.
The full text of the Bill will be available later today: https://t.co/13x4T6TPOC pic.twitter.com/SUal8XLqhO
— In the Chamber (@HoCChamber) June 13, 2024
The Government of Canada considers conversion therapy to be when a person
“seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation to heterosexual, to change an individual’s gender identity to cisgender, or to change an individual’s gender expression so that it corresponds to the sex assigned to them at birth.”
Canada officially prohibited conversion therapy starting in 2020 by passing legislation that denounced traditional views on gender and sexuality as “misconceptions and generalizations.” According to the law, anyone promoting the notion that a person’s biological sex determines their gender identity and discouraging them from pursuing gender-affirming procedures such as hormonal treatment or surgery, could face criminal charges under the provisions of the Criminal Code. The initial law, known as C-6, was succeeded by the more stringent Bill C-4 in 2021, which came into force in 2022.
In December 2021, both the Senate and the House of Commons unanimously endorsed Bill C-4, leading to the effective prohibition of conversion therapy in Canada by January 7, 2022.
As per Bill C-404:
“Conversion therapy has caused significant harm to persons who have been subjected to it, including depression, anxiety, self-rejection, social isolation, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, as well as infringing on their rights to dignity and equality,”
“Parliament considers that it is desirable to raise awareness of the harms caused by conversion therapy and that it is fitting that the 7th of January be established as a day of reflection,”
Out of the 365 days in a year, a grand total of 293 days are currently devoted to recognizing the significance of the 2SLGBTQI community. This list is by no means exhaustive…
Liberals have proposed a bill that aims to create a national awareness day for conversion therapy Via: Egale Canada.
House Of Commons
Government Of Canada
Criminal Code
Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen
National Conversion Therapy Awareness Day
Bill C-404Bill C-4
