Conversion Therapy is now Illegal in Canada

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Monday, 10 January 2022 05:17

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Conversion therapy generated a lot of discussion in Oxford County last year after local MP Dave MacKenzie brought forward a petition to the House of Commons.

OXFORD COUNTY - A major milestone for LGBTQ2S+ rights in Canada. 

Conversion therapy has officially been banned and deemed illegal. The new law means, you could face up to five years in prison for subjecting anyone to conversion therapy. It does not matter if the person volunteers for it. 

Anyone who profits from conversion therapy could be subject to a maximum of two years in prison. Conversion therapy is described as trying to change a person from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual or their gender identity from transgender or nonbinary to cisgender using psychological, physical, or spiritual interventions.

This story gained a lot of traction locally last year when Oxford County MP Dave MacKenzie brought forward a petition to the House of Commons to amend Bill C-6 as it relates to "conversion therapy." 

MacKenzie's petition brought forward criticisms from the Oxford County Pride committee, Oxford NDP and the Mayor of Zorra Township. You can read more about that petition and the community backlash online here. 

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