Canada’s House of Commons erupted into a scene of inter-party cheering and hugging on Wednesday as MPs unanimously adopted a motion tabled by a Conservative MP to speed up the passage of a liberal government bill banning conversion therapy. for LGBTQ Canadians.
That legislation, presented earlier in the week, will now go to the Senate, as no deputy ruled against the measure to skip the routine legislative debate.
The breakneck speed at which it unfolded was started in the House by Conservative justice critic Rob Moore, who introduced the motion during Wednesday’s session after the Conservative caucus met earlier that day.
The only indication that something might have been afoot came from Conservative leader Erin O’Toole who, after leaving the meeting, told reporters that her group planned to speed up the bill’s passage, but without providing any details. .
After the motion passed the House, Liberal Justice Minister David Lametti emerged to grant some credit that he felt was due.
“There are clearly people on the Conservative caucus to thank,” he said, flanked by some of the liberals’ openly gay ministers.
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“There are clearly people in the conservative caucus who exercised great leadership on the issue, and I thank them. I sincerely thank them. They have done something very important for Canadians.”
Conversion therapy, as it is called, is widely discredited as a harmful practice, the goal of which is to try to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The government’s gratitude for the conservatives’ handling of the legislation to criminalize the practice represented a dramatic change from a few months ago, when parliamentarians debated an earlier version of the bill.
Liberals thank conservatives who championed the #ConversionTherapy ban when it passes House. #CDNPoli
At the time, 62 of O’Toole’s 119 MPs voted against the legislation, which passed the House but failed to pass the Senate before it rose for the summer, and ultimately died when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked an election.
Many Conservative MPs, that is, those who come from their conservative social wing, complained at the time that the draft bill was too broad and could criminalize conversations about sexuality between children and their parents or with religious leaders.
That vote sparked a backlash, with critics charging that O’Toole had failed to live up to his more progressive rhetoric on LGBTQ issues.
Five months later, and faced with another vote, O’Toole’s office said Tuesday that it would again allow MPs to vote freely on the new bill, prompting criticism from at least one advocacy group that lobbied for it to was supported by all parliamentarians.
However, Wednesday’s motion to speed up the House process meant that a recorded vote was not necessary.
“I think the political people in this country no longer want to be on the registry opposing LGBTQ issues because they are fundamental human rights,” said Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault.
“We said we wanted people to be on the right side of history … no one can consent to torture, so I think the Conservative Party leaders made that message clear.”
Boissonnault added that he believes the leadership came from O’Toole’s front and middle benches, not from MPs at his rear.
Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan told reporters that he believed Michelle Rempel Garner, a well-known Conservative MP who has long advocated for LGBTQ rights, has something to do with it. She was among the Conservatives whom liberal ministers embraced in the House.
“Some days are exceptionally good,” tweeted Conservative Ontario MP Melissa Lantsman, one of the only openly gay elected members of the party.
As for who was the one who pushed the idea, Conservative House leader Gerard Deltell said only that the legislation was discussed in the caucus earlier in the day.
And as for Conservative MPs who had stated that they disagreed with the government’s previous version of the same legislation, Deltell said they were able to say their piece in the last Parliament.
He called Wednesday’s motion returning the proposed ban to the same place it was before Trudeau triggered what conservatives saw as an unnecessary and costly federal election, resetting the legislative agenda.
O’Toole’s move to speed up the passage of a bill that sparked some controversy in his caucus ranks comes as he tries to turn the page on the party’s disappointing electoral defeat and broaden his support for Canadians, namely those from urban and suburban areas of Canada. .
Conservatives will also have to grapple with another government bill related to COVID-19. The two-pronged bill would legislate 10 days of paid sick leave for federally regulated workers and create two new Penal Code offenses for anyone who threatens a healthcare worker or obstructs access to a care facility. medical.
These latest measures are in response to protests against vaccines in hospitals and clinics, but would also apply to facilities where abortions are performed.
Liberals have long used abortion to drive a political wedge between conservatives, the most recent example being the federal election campaign in September.
The Campaign Life Coalition, a national anti-abortion organization, has already warned that the bill could restrict freedom of expression for those who want to publicly oppose the procedure.
Cheryl Gallant, a former Ontario advocate, also said in a recent video on social media that Trudeau was pushing for a “protest ban” and questioned “what kind of protest will be banned next.”
A statement from O’Toole’s office suggested Tuesday that Conservatives plan to support the legislation, but spokeswoman Josie Sabatino did not respond when asked if the vote would be rejected.
He said they support existing Penal Code measures that protect healthcare workers and “will also support the new measures proposed in (the bill) along with paid sick leave provisions for all federally regulated industries.” .
Sabatino also promised that a conservative government would expand the legislation to apply to “other public works and critical infrastructure.”
O’Toole has been critical of blockades and organized protests in transportation infrastructure, such as rail lines, in the past.
This Canadian Press report was first published on December 1, 2021.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com