Bill C-4, prohibiting conversion therapy, passes in the Senate.
Conservative senators followed suit in the House of Commons and obtained unanimity to pass C-4 at second and third reading in the Senate, without study or amendment.
It was Conservative Senator Leo Housakos who rose in the upper chamber to move the adoption of C-4 expeditiously.
“I think we should have the reflex, in this institution, that when something is in the universal interest, the public interest, we should not create unnecessary duplication or unnecessary debates”, argued Mr. Housakos, when presenting his motion.
No senator opposed Mr. Housakos’ proposal. The adoption of the motion was followed by applause in the upper chamber, but the demonstrations of celebration ended there.
By comparison, such a maneuver last week sparked shouts of joy in the Commons, and Liberal MPs rushed to the other side of the House to thank their Conservative colleagues, sometimes ignoring the rules of the House. distancing to give hugs.
The unexpected turnaround came after days of discussions between Senate groups to expedite the study of the bill in committee, in the hope of passing it before the holiday break. It was expected that C-4 would be referred to a Senate committee which was to produce a report within a few days.
The sponsor of the bill in the Senate, Senator René Cormier, was nonetheless pleased with the turn of events. “An important milestone has just been crossed for the rights of LGBTQ2 + communities in Canada and I am more than proud of it,” he wrote on Twitter.
“I want to thank all the Senators. We accomplish great things when we all work together, ”added Federal Minister of Justice David Lametti on the same social network.
The only thing missing is royal assent for the ban on conversion therapy to become law.