MPs Calkins and Dreeshen vote against conversion therapy ban
The Conservative Members of Parliament representing Red Deer and area have voted against a bill banning the controversial practice of conversion therapy in Canada.
On Tuesday, the House of Commons voted 263-63 in favour of Bill C-6, tabled by Liberal MP and Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti, seeking to prohibit forceful conversion therapy and make several other related acts a criminal offence, including:
- causing a child to undergo conversion therapy;
- removing a child from Canada to undergo conversion therapy abroad;
- receiving a financial or other material benefit from the provision of conversion therapy; and
- advertising an offer to provide conversion therapy.
Sixty-two of the nay votes came from Conservative MPs, including Red Deer-Mountain View’s Earl Dreeshen and Red Deer-Lacombe’s Blaine Calkins. The other nay vote came from Derek Sloan, a former Conservative member turned Independent