Rainbow Faith and Freedom (RFF) is gravely concerned the Bill C-6, legislation designed to ban so-called “Conversion Therapy” in Canada, was not passed into law before the Senate left for its summer break. We believe it to be incumbent upon the Speaker of the Senate to recall the government’s upper chamber to pass this important and life-saving legislation as soon as possible.

Bill C-6 has faced and overcome too many obstacles in the past year to be allowed to languish over the summer and possibly disappear altogether should a federal election be called in the coming months. With all but seven MPs supporting the bill in the House of Commons and assurances from senators that it would pass third reading in the upper chamber, it is unconscionable to leave survivors and other vulnerable members of the LGBTQ2S+ community without the assurance of safety from an inhumane practice for any longer.

According to a recent study by the Community-Based Research Centre, an estimated 10% of gay, bi, trans and queer youth in Canada have experienced this harmful and abusive practice, with more than two-thirds experiencing conversion therapy in religious or faith-based settings. It is our position that these heinous practices must be completely and legislatively ended without any further delay.

We call upon the Speaker of the Senate and the Honourable members of the upper chamber to return as quickly as possible to allow for proper review of the legislation and to pass it into law.