44th Parliament223Government response tabledSeptember 20, 2022441-00579441-00579 (Justice)ArnoldViersenPeace River—WestlockConservativeABJune 14, 2022September 20, 2022March 8, 2021Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, conversion therapy has historically referred to coercive, degrading actions that seek to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity which are wrong and should be banned;Whereas, Bill C-6 defines conversion therapy as "a practice, treatment or service designed to change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual, to change a person's gender identity or gender expression to cisgender or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behavior or non-cisgender gender expression";Whereas, this broad definition wrongly applies the label "conversion therapy" to a broad range of practices, including counsel from parents, teachers, and counsellors encouraging children to reduce sexual behavior;Whereas, Bill C-6 expressly allows counselling, medical, and surgical efforts to change a child's gender, but prohibits support for a child seeking to de-transition to his or her birth (cis) gender;Whereas, Bill C-6 could restrict the choices of LGBTQ2 Canadians concerning sexuality and gender by prohibiting access to any professional or spiritual support freely chosen to limit sexual behaviour or de-transition.Therefore we, the undersigned, call on the House of Commons to take the following actions to address the situation:1. Ban coercive, degrading practices that are designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity;2. Amend Bill C-6 to Fix the Definition of Conversion Therapy, thus banning Conversion Therapy without banning voluntary counselling or criminalizing conversations; and3. Allow parents to speak with their own children about sexuality and gender, and to set house rules about sex and relationships.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Parliamentary Secretary Gary AnandasangareeSo-called conversion therapy is a cruel and degrading practice, which has physical and mental impacts on those who undergo it, in some cases to the point of death. Conversion therapy is a scientifically discredited practice that discriminates against 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians by telling them that they should change a fundamental part of who they are – their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Our Government is proud to have passed former Bill C-4,  An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy), which criminalizes causing another person to undergo conversion therapy, removing a minor from Canada to subject them to conversion therapy abroad, profiting from conversion therapy and advertising or promoting it.So-called conversion therapy harms and further stigmatizes sexual and gender-diverse persons and undermines their equality and dignity. No Canadian should be subjected to this practice, which is based on the false pretense that a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression can and should be altered according to a narrow belief of what is considered "natural" or "normal". The consensus demonstrated by all Parliamentarians in Canada on former Bill C-4 is part of an emerging global consensus surrounding the real and life-long harms for conversion therapy victims and survivors, and our Government is proud to be a global leader in ending this abhorrent practice.
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy)Conversion therapyGender identity and gender expressionSexual minorities
44th Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 31, 2022441-00068441-00068 (Justice)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABDecember 14, 2021January 31, 2022March 8, 2021Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, conversion therapy has historically referred to coercive, degrading actions that seek to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity which are wrong and should be banned;Whereas, Bill C-6 defines conversion therapy as "a practice, treatment or service designed to change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual, to change a person's gender identity or gender expression to cisgender or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behavior or non-cisgender gender expression";Whereas, this broad definition wrongly applies the label "conversion therapy" to a broad range of practices, including counsel from parents, teachers, and counsellors encouraging children to reduce sexual behavior;Whereas, Bill C-6 expressly allows counselling, medical, and surgical efforts to change a child's gender, but prohibits support for a child seeking to de-transition to his or her birth (cis) gender;Whereas, Bill C-6 could restrict the choices of LGBTQ2 Canadians concerning sexuality and gender by prohibiting access to any professional or spiritual support freely chosen to limit sexual behaviour or de-transition.Therefore we, the undersigned, call on the House of Commons to take the following actions to address the situation:1. Ban coercive, degrading practices that are designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity;2. Amend Bill C-6 to Fix the Definition of Conversion Therapy, thus banning Conversion Therapy without banning voluntary counselling or criminalizing conversations; and3. Allow parents to speak with their own children about sexuality and gender, and to set house rules about sex and relationships.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Parliamentary Secretary Gary AnandasangareeConversion therapy is a scientifically discredited practice that discriminates against LGBTQ2 Canadians by telling them that they should change a fundamental part of who they are – their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. That is why our Government is proud to have passed Bill C-4, which criminalizes causing another person to undergo conversion therapy, removing a minor from Canada to subject them to conversion therapy abroad, profiting from conversion therapy and advertising or promoting it.Conversion therapy practices aim to change an individual’s sexual orientation to heterosexual, to change an individual’s gender identity to cisgender, or to change their gender expression to match the sex they were assigned at birth. They harm and further stigmatize sexual and gender-diverse persons and undermine their equality and dignity. They reflect myths and stereotypes about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2) communities particularly that their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression are wrong. These harmful practices also reinforce heteronormative and cis-normative ideas, as well as gender-conformity on LGBTQ2 individuals.Consistent with its important objective of ending an inherently discriminatory practice, Bill C-4 defines conversion therapy as any practice, treatment or service that is designed to make a person conform to heteronormative or cisnormative standards. Bill C-4’s conversion therapy definition also clarifies that interventions that help a person explore or develop their identity are not conversion therapy unless they are based on the false assumption that a particular sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression is preferable to another.The consensus demonstrated by Parliamentarians in Canada on C-4 is a part of an emerging global consensus surrounding the real and life - long harms for conversion therapy victims and survivors, and our Government is proud to be a global leader in ending this abhorrent practice.
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy)Conversion therapyGender identity and gender expressionSexual minorities
44th Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 31, 2022441-00055441-00055 (Justice)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABDecember 13, 2021January 31, 2022March 8, 2021Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, conversion therapy has historically referred to coercive, degrading actions that seek to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity which are wrong and should be banned;Whereas, Bill C-6 defines conversion therapy as "a practice, treatment or service designed to change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual, to change a person's gender identity or gender expression to cisgender or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behavior or non-cisgender gender expression";Whereas, this broad definition wrongly applies the label "conversion therapy" to a broad range of practices, including counsel from parents, teachers, and counsellors encouraging children to reduce sexual behavior;Whereas, Bill C-6 expressly allows counselling, medical, and surgical efforts to change a child's gender, but prohibits support for a child seeking to de-transition to his or her birth (cis) gender;Whereas, Bill C-6 could restrict the choices of LGBTQ2 Canadians concerning sexuality and gender by prohibiting access to any professional or spiritual support freely chosen to limit sexual behaviour or de-transition.Therefore we, the undersigned, call on the House of Commons to take the following actions to address the situation:1. Ban coercive, degrading practices that are designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity;2. Amend Bill C-6 to Fix the Definition of Conversion Therapy, thus banning Conversion Therapy without banning voluntary counselling or criminalizing conversations; and3. Allow parents to speak with their own children about sexuality and gender, and to set house rules about sex and relationships.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Parliamentary Secretary Gary AnandasangareeConversion therapy is a scientifically discredited practice that discriminates against LGBTQ2 Canadians by telling them that they should change a fundamental part of who they are – their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. That is why our Government is proud to have passed Bill C-4, which criminalizes causing another person to undergo conversion therapy, removing a minor from Canada to subject them to conversion therapy abroad, profiting from conversion therapy and advertising or promoting it.Conversion therapy practices aim to change an individual’s sexual orientation to heterosexual, to change an individual’s gender identity to cisgender, or to change their gender expression to match the sex they were assigned at birth. They harm and further stigmatize sexual and gender-diverse persons and undermine their equality and dignity. They reflect myths and stereotypes about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2) communities particularly that their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression are wrong. These harmful practices also reinforce heteronormative and cis-normative ideas, as well as gender-conformity on LGBTQ2 individuals.Consistent with its important objective of ending an inherently discriminatory practice, Bill C-4 defines conversion therapy as any practice, treatment or service that is designed to make a person conform to heteronormative or cisnormative standards. Bill C-4’s conversion therapy definition also clarifies that interventions that help a person explore or develop their identity are not conversion therapy unless they are based on the false assumption that a particular sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression is preferable to another.The consensus demonstrated by Parliamentarians in Canada on C-4 is a part of an emerging global consensus surrounding the real and life - long harms for conversion therapy victims and survivors, and our Government is proud to be a global leader in ending this abhorrent practice.
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy)Conversion therapyGender identity and gender expressionSexual minorities