Calgary Federal Conversion Therapy Ban Given Mandate By Trudeau Government | HuffPost Politics - Action.News ABC Action News WestNet-HD Weather Traffic

OTTAWA A federal LGBTQ conversion therapy ban could be on the horizon.

Banning conversion therapy was prioritized in Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Dec. 13 mandate letter to Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti, where Trudeau directed the ministry to amend the Criminal Code to ban the practice of conversion therapy and take other steps required with the provinces and territories to end conversion therapy in Canada.

The move marks the first concrete steps towards the fulfillment of the Liberal election promise to ban the harmful practice of attempting to forcibly change peoples gender or sexuality.

MacEwan University professor and longtime anti-conversion therapy advocate Kristopher Wells said he was very pleased to see banning conversion therapy prioritized by Trudeaus minority government so quickly following the election.

BREAKING NEWS: Prime Minister has provided a Mandate Letter to the Minister of Justice to:

\"amend the Criminal Code to ban the practice of conversion therapy and take other steps required with the provinces and territories to end conversion therapy in Canada. #cdnpoli #LGBTQ2

Dr. Kristopher Wells (@KristopherWells) December 13, 2019","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Dr. Kristopher Wells","author_url":"https://twitter.com/KristopherWells","cache_age":86400,"description":"BREAKING NEWS: Prime Minister has provided a Mandate Letter to the Minister of Justice to:\"amend the Criminal Code to ban the practice of conversion therapy and take other steps required with the provinces and territories to end conversion therapy in Canada. #cdnpoli #LGBTQ2 Dr. Kristopher Wells (@KristopherWells) December 13, 2019\n\n","provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Dr. Kristopher Wells on 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BREAKING NEWS: Prime Minister has provided a Mandate Letter to the Minister of Justice to:

"amend the Criminal Code to ban the practice of conversion therapy and take other steps required with the provinces and territories to end conversion therapy in Canada. #cdnpoli #LGBTQ2
Dr. Kristopher Wells (@KristopherWells) December 13, 2019

This is a real opportunity for Canada to show leadership on the world stage when it comes to passing the strongest legislation in the world, he said. To clearly demonstrate that conversion therapy has no place in our society or civilization.

What is conversion therapy?

Conversion therapy refers to the practice of trying to change someones sexual orientation or gender identity using psychological or spiritual interventions. It has widely been discredited by scientific and medical communities, and was formally condemned by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) in 2015.

Conversion or reparative therapy can result in negative outcomes such as distress, anxiety, depression, negative self-image, a feeling of personal failure, difficulty sustaining relationships, and sexual dysfunction, read the groups 2015 statement.

WATCH: What is conversion therapy? Story continues below.

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Several municipalities and provinces across Canada have already banned the practice. Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia have all imposed bans, while cities including Vancouver and Sherwood Park, Alta. have introduced local bans.

This week, Edmonton city council unanimously voted to ban conversion therapy, with what Wells calls the best, most comprehensive policy on the issue in Canada.

The Liberals, NDP and Green Party all included references to a federal conversion therapy ban in their 2019 platforms.

Second times the charm

Trudeaus mandate comes alongside progress on the issue in Parliaments other house.

Sen. Liberal Serge Joyal tabled Bill S-202 this week, which seeks to amend the Criminal Code to criminalize receiving financial or material benefit from conversion therapy and ban advertising it to minors under the age of 18.

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What is conversion therapy?

Second times the charm