Today: December 1, 2021

Today: December 1, 2021

By Andrew Thomson | UPDATED 4:44pmET

The government's latest conversion therapy bill will proceed directly to the Senate after the House of Commons agreed to fast-track the legislation through all stages.

A Conservative motion found unanimous consent following today's question period.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole had hinted earlier today that such a motion was coming:

More reaction:

C-4 and previous bills have sought to amend the Criminal Code to block the widely discredited practice of attempting to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity using psychological or spiritual interventions. 

The most recent bill would make the proposed ban on conversion therapy applicable to adults along with children. 

The prohibition would include:

  • causing a person to undergo conversion therapy against the person’s will;
  • doing anything for the purpose of removing a child from Canada with the intention that the child undergo conversion therapy outside Canada;
  • advertising an offer to provide conversion therapy;
  • receiving a financial or other material benefit from the provision of conversion therapy.

Courts would also be able to authorize the destruction or disposal of advertisements for conversion therapy.

The first attempt to pass conversion therapy legislation ended when the Liberal government prorogued Parliament in 2020; the second bill died in the Senate when Parliament dissolved ahead of this year’s election.

Watch today's question period:

The House of Commons will also vote on the speech from the throne subamendment, traditionally moved by the second-largest opposition party. 

The Bloc Québécois subamendment includes a call to address the "fiscal imbalance" by:

(i) a major investment that would cover 35% of health costs in Quebec and in the other provinces by the federal government through the Canada Health Transfer with a subsequent annual indexation of 6%,

(ii) abandoning the idea of imposing national health standards,

(iii) ensuring that the provinces that do not want conditional assistance in the area of health care from the federal government in Ottawa have the right to opt out with full financial compensation for each of the proposed initiatives, and that it all be negotiated at a summit on health care funding.

The Bloc also wants the government to increase Old Age Security for seniors aged 65 to 74.

Watch this morning's news conference with Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet:

And NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh:

And new interim Green leader Amita Kuttner, joined by parliamentary leader Elizabeth May and Kitchener Centre MP Mike Morrice:

Kuttner replaced Annamie Paul, who stepped down after months of party turmoil and a disappointing result in September's 2021 federal election.

Kuttner is an astrophysicist and identifies as non-binary. According to the party, they are the youngest, the first transgender, and east-Asian person to lead a national political party in Canada.

Also tonight: a four-hour take-note debate on the softwood lumber dispute with the United States. 

MPs switch to a Committee of the Whole for this style of debate, which looks at broader national issues rather than specific bills. MPs can speak as many times as they wish – 10 minutes at a time.

Last week the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a final decision on new rates for anti-dumping and countervailing duties that will at a minimum double tariffs for Canadian exporters.

Canada will require all air passengers arriving from abroad to be tested for COVID-19, with the exception of U.S. flights, with vaccinated travelers forced to isolate until they have a negative result as uncertainty remains over the Omicron variant.

Federal ministers also announced yesterday the addition of Egypt, Malawi, and Nigeria to the list of African countries facing travel restrictions. 

And the government has asked the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) to issue prompt guidance on how the Omicron variant might influence booster shots.

Here's what the prime minister told reporters ahead of this morning's Liberal caucus meeting:

Watch yesterday's news conference:

PrimeTime Politics: MPs Francesco Sorbara (Liberal), Stephen Ellis (Conservative), and Taylor Bachrach (NDP) joined Martin Stringer yesterday to debate the federal response to the Omicron variant: