The conversion therapy ban has taken effect in Canada, CTVNews.ca reported.
After parliamentarians came together to unanimously pass legislation to eradicate the harmful practice in late 2021, the Criminal Code sanctions came into force on Jan. 7. That means that anyone who looks to subject someone of any age, consenting or not, to so-called conversion therapy could face up to five years in prison.
Conversion "therapy," as it has been called, seeks to change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual or gender identity to cisgender.
Few countries have criminalized conversion therapy, and Canada now has what the federal Liberal government has described as "among the most comprehensive" protections in the world.
According to a separate article, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed last August that if his party was re-elected, legislation outlawing LGBTQ2S+ conversion therapy would be a priority.