Summary#
This bill changes Canada’s Criminal Code to ban conversion therapy nationwide. It creates new crimes for causing someone to undergo conversion therapy, promoting or advertising it, earning money from it, and taking a child out of Canada so they can receive it abroad. It also lets courts order that conversion therapy ads be seized or deleted. The law takes effect on the 30th day after Royal Assent (Coming into Force).
- Makes it a crime to cause any person to undergo conversion therapy, with a maximum of 5 years in prison (s. 320.102).
- Bans promoting or advertising conversion therapy and receiving money or other benefits from it, with a maximum of 2 years in prison (s. 320.103–320.104).
- Lets courts seize and delete conversion therapy ads, including online (ss. 164, 164.1).
- Makes it an offence to remove a child from Canada intending they undergo conversion therapy outside Canada (s. 273.3(1)(c)).
- Defines conversion therapy broadly, and states that open-ended exploration or gender transition support is not banned if it does not assume one identity is better than another (Definition; “For greater certainty” clause).
- Adds conversion therapy to the list of offences for which police can seek wiretap authorization from a judge (s. 183).
What it means for you#
- Households and parents
- You cannot lawfully arrange for a child to receive conversion therapy abroad. Taking a child out of Canada for that purpose is a crime (s. 273.3(1)(c)).
- Causing another person to undergo conversion therapy is a crime, with no exception for consenting adults (s. 320.102).
- “Conversion therapy” includes practices aimed at changing or repressing sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression (Definition).
- Health and mental health providers
- You cannot provide any practice, treatment, or service designed to change or repress a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression (s. 320.102).
- You may provide supportive, exploratory care, including transition-related care, if it is not based on a belief that one identity is preferable (Definition, “For greater certainty”).
- You cannot promote or advertise conversion therapy, or receive fees or other benefits from it (s. 320.103–320.104).
- Faith leaders and counselors
- The ban applies in any setting. Practices or services designed to change or repress orientation or gender identity/expression are illegal (s. 320.102; Definition).
- Advertising or promoting such services is illegal, and earning money or benefits from them is also illegal (s. 320.103–320.104).
- Advertisers, publishers, web hosts, and platforms
- Courts can order seizure or deletion of conversion therapy ads, including content stored on computer systems. You may receive court orders to remove such content (ss. 164, 164.1).
- Event venues and organizations
- Hosting or facilitating events that promote or provide conversion therapy can expose organizers to offences on promotion and material benefit (s. 320.103–320.104).
- Law enforcement and courts
- Police can apply to a judge for wiretap authorization in investigations related to the conversion therapy offence (s. 183).
- Timing
- The law takes effect on the 30th day after Royal Assent (Coming into Force).
Expenses#
Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.
- No direct appropriations or funding are specified in the bill text.
- The bill creates new Criminal Code offences and court powers. Any enforcement, prosecution, court, or correctional costs are not estimated in the bill or related official materials. Data unavailable.
Proponents' View#
- Protects individuals from harm by banning practices the preamble says cause harm to persons and society (Preamble; s. 320.102).
- Closes gaps by covering all ages and settings; there is no adult-consent loophole, which proponents say prevents coercion and pressure (s. 320.102).
- Cuts off supply by criminalizing promotion/advertising and financial benefit, and by allowing seizure and deletion of ads, including online (ss. 164, 164.1; s. 320.103–320.104).
- Protects children by criminalizing removing a child from Canada to obtain conversion therapy abroad (s. 273.3(1)(c)).
- Preserves legitimate care by expressly allowing exploratory counseling and gender transition support that does not assume a preferred outcome (Definition, “For greater certainty”).
- Improves enforcement by adding the offence to the wiretap list, giving investigators standard tools used for serious crimes (s. 183).
Opponents' View#
- Definition may be too broad. It covers efforts to “repress or reduce” non-heterosexual attraction or “non-cisgender” identity or expression, which critics say could chill some counseling or pastoral guidance, even if client-led (Definition, clauses (d)–(f)).
- Risk to voluntary adult choices. There is no exception for consenting adults to seek conversion therapy, which opponents argue limits autonomy (s. 320.102).
- Unclear lines for providers. Deciding when support becomes a “practice, treatment or service designed to” change or repress identity may be hard to apply, raising enforcement uncertainty (Definition; s. 320.102).
- Free expression and religion concerns. Bans on promotion/advertising and orders to delete materials could affect speech and religious messaging if interpreted broadly (s. 320.103; ss. 164, 164.1).
- Implementation burden. New offences may require police training, digital content review, and court time, with unknown costs and potential uneven enforcement. Data unavailable.