Bill to ban conversion therapy clears House of Commons

A government bill seeking to ban conversion therapy has cleared the House of Commons and is on its way to the Senate.

Bill C-4 was fast-tracked through the legislative stages in the House of Commons with the unanimous consent of all MPs after Conservative Rob Moore introduced a motion to do so.

Erin O'Toole had been set to once again allow his caucus to have a free vote on the bill, but also pledged that his MPs would work to get it passed quickly.

The so-called therapy is widely discredited as a harmful practice, aimed at trying to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Earlier in the week, the Liberals introduced legislation for a third time in the House of Commons to criminalize the practice.

The first bill died when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament in 2020.

A second version introduced not long after didn't pass the Senate before the legislative agenda was cleared by Trudeau's election call last summer.