Bill C-6

For PAFE, much of the first part of 2021 (just prior to the 2021 election) was spent fighting the Trudeau Liberals’ Bill C-6, the notorious “Conversion Therapy Ban” that proposed to, among other things, criminalize efforts by parents to seek treatment for their underage children’s gender-dysphoria, either in Canada or abroad, with several financial penalties and even possible jail time for parents who defied the law.

For our “old” resource page on this so-called “Conversion therapy” legislation, click here.

To read PAFE's submission to Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights re: Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy), click here. There you will find a link to PAFE’s written Analysis of Bill C-6.

For PAFE’s video opposing Bill C-6, click here.

But what is “conversion therapy”?

Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy). In trying to ban “conversion therapy” with Bill C-6, the Trudeau Liberal government used the name of a controversial and misunderstood treatment to control what services ALL Canadians can choose in relation to their sexuality and gender.

According to the definition provided in the text of Bill C-6, conversion therapy is “a practice, treatment or service designed to change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual or gender identity to cisgender, or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour.”

In the past, conversion therapy was a term used for electroshock therapy, which was infrequently used by some psychiatrists in the treatment of same-sex attraction. It has not been used in decades for same-sex attraction. Today, therapists who provide counselling for those with unwanted same-sex attraction use narrative or talk therapy.

Parents should not be jailed for helping their children with their sexuality and gender. Talk therapy exists for those who want to try to change a specific behaviour, and such talk therapy has been successfully used by people with unwanted same sex-attraction and gender dysphoria. Why not give Canadians this option if they want it?

Why Bill C-6 Needed to be Stopped

Here were our concerns with Bill C-6:

• Empowers the government to jail parents for accessing any type of therapy that does not ultimately lead to their child
  • becoming transgender or
  • acting on his/her same-sex attraction
• Overrides parental rights by stopping any parent from seeking counselling for their child who is questioning his/her gender or sexual orientation
• Prevents children who have switched genders from de-transitioning if they change their mind
• Prevents spiritual leaders (pastors, etc.) from providing spiritual guidance to those who request it
• Violates the freedom of conscience of medical practitioners, counsellors, and clergy to assist their clients and community members according to their best professional judgment

It promotes gender transitioning for minors by preventing any therapy that doesn’t gladly affirm a lifetime of medical interventions that many transitioners come to regret!

How did the MPs vote on C-6?

In total, 263 MPs voted “YEA” and 63 MPs voted “NAY”.  Of the 63 “NAY” votes, 62 came from CPC MPs. The other NAY vote came from independent MP Derek Sloan. The CPC, under then leader Erin O’Toole, had a “free vote” and the 119 or so CPC MPs at that time split, more or less evenly, with 51 CPC  in FAVOUR of C-6 , and 62 CPC opposed. About a half dozen CPC MPs skipped the vote altogether and then passed first and second reading in the Senate before dying in the Senate, due to a federal election in September 2021.

IMPORTANT NOTE: MPs named below who were MPs on June 22, 2021, but for one reason or another were not MPs in December 2021, have a “strike through” their name.

CPC MPs present in Ottawa that day who voted in favour of C-6 on June 22,  2021:

Ziad Aboultaif, Scott Aitchison, Dan Albas, Leona Alleslev, Mel Arnold, Tony Baldinelli, Luc Berthold, Steven Blaney, Colin Carrie, Michael Chong, James Cumming,  Raquel Dancho, Scot Davidson, Gérard Deltell, Chris D’Entremont, Mr. Terry Dowdell, Eric Duncan, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Matt Jeneroux, Mr. Pat Kelly, Peter Kent, Michael Kram, Mike Lake, Philip Lawrence, Richard Lehoux, Ron Liepert, Larry Maguire, Richard Martel, Mr. Kelly McCauley, Greg McLean, Cathy McLeod, Eric Melillo, Rob Moore, Marty Morantz, John Nater, Erin O’Toole, Pierre Paul-Hus, Pierre Poilievre, Alain Rayes, Scott Reid, Michelle Rempel Garner, Alex Ruff, Jag Sahota, Mr. Jamie Schmale, Doug Shipley, Karen Vecchio, Len Webber.

CPC MPs present in Ottawa who abstained or skipped the June 22 2021 vote on C-6, for whom we have no voting record on this issue:

Todd Doherty, Jasrasingh Hallan, Blake Richards, Kyle Seeback, Tim Uppal, Brad Vis

CPC MPs present in Ottawa that day who voted AGAINST C-6 on June 22 of 2021:

Dean Allison, John Barlow, Michael Barrett, James Bezan, Bob Benzen, Candice Bergen, Kelly Block, Richard Bragdon, Blaine Calkins, Kenny Chiu, Michael Cooper, Marc Dalton, Mr. Kerry Diotte, Earl Dreeshen, Dave Epp, Rosemarie Falk, Ted Falk, Ed Fast, Cheryl Gallant, Garnett Genuis, Marilyn Gladu, Ms. Tracy Gray, Randy Hoback, Robert Kitchen, Tom Kmiec, Damien Kurek, Stephanie Kusie, Mr. Chris Lewis, Dane Lloyd, Ben Lobb, Tom Lukiwski, Dave MacKenzie, Dan Mazier, Phil McColeman, Rob Morrison,  Glen Motz, Jeremy Patzer, Brad Redekopp, Lianne Rood, Bob Saroya, Andrew Scheer, Martin Shields, Nelly Shin, Gerald Soroka, Warren Steinley, Mark Strahl, Shannon Stubbs, David Sweet, Rachael Thomas, Mr. Corey Tochor, Tako Van Popta, Gary Vidal, Arnold Viersen, Cathay Wagantall, Chris Warkentin, Kevin Waugh, John Williamson, Bob Zimmer

MPs who voted AGAINST C-6 in June, were then defeated in October, and therefore not an MP in December, but have since returned to the House of Commons through a byelection:

Tamara Jansen

MPs who were NOT yet MPs in June 2021, and therefore have NO VOTING RECORD on C-6 (June 2021) but were elected in October 2021, and thus were MPS in December 2021, and could have voted AGAINST Bill C-4, but chose not to do so:

Larry Brock, Frank Caputo, Adam Chambers, Stephen Ellis, Michelle Ferreri, Laila Goodridge, Shelly Kramp-Neuman, Melissia Lantsman, Dr. Leslyn Lewis, Dan Muys, Rick Perkins, Anna Roberts, Clifford Small, Jake Stewart, Fraser Tolmie, Dominique Vien, Ryan Williams.

MPs who were NOT yet MPs in June 2021, and therefore have NO VOTING RECORD on C-6 (June 2021) but were elected in October 2021, and thus were MPS in December 2021, and could have voted AGAINST Bill C-4, but chose not to do so:

Larry Brock, Frank Caputo, Adam Chambers, Stephen Ellis, Michelle Ferreri, Laila Goodridge, Shelly Kramp-Neuman, Melissia Lantsman, Dr. Leslyn Lewis, Dan Muys, Rick Perkins, Anna Roberts, Clifford Small, Jake Stewart, Fraser Tolmie, Dominique Vien, Ryan Williams.

MPs who were elected for the first time to the House of Commons AFTER the December 2021 CPC betrayal:

Jamil Jivani, Arpan Khanna, Brandon Leslie, Shuv Majumdar, Don Stewart.

Take note that that Pierre Poilievre was recorded as voting in favour of Bill C-6, in a "free vote", on June 2021

For the official government record on the C-6 vote, see here.

After passing the House of Commons, the Bill was sent to the Senate, but the 2021 Election was called before the Senate could pass it. In other words, Bill C-6 “died” in the Senate in August, 2021.

Bill C-6 was re-introduced in the new parliament, this time as C-4, and passed with unanimous consent just a few months later. 

For a summary on the controversy surrounding the passage of Bill C-4 in December 2021, CLICK HERE.