(OTTAWA) The federal Department of Justice says that a year after Canada’s ban on conversion therapy took effect, it has not been notified of any criminal charges filed for offering the service.
Conversion therapy is the practice of attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual or alter their gender expression to match the sex they were assigned at birth.
Michael Kwag, director of the Community Research Center in Toronto, recalls that when the law was passed there was a lot of satisfaction, but he points out that there is still work to be done so that prosecutors and the police can act in result.
In his opinion, the LGBTQ community has had a difficult relationship with the police in the past and some people may be reluctant to come forward.
Michael Kwag and other activists hope the federal government will fund education and awareness campaigns about conversion therapy and its dangers.
Advocates say that while the ban could have a chilling effect on anyone considering offering the service, it is still available in Canada, including to vulnerable young people.