The City of Calgary’s decision last week to join the City of Edmonton and five other provincial municipalities in passing legislation banning conversion therapy has created an untenable situation in Alberta.
Conversion therapy aims to change, repress or discourage a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling or religious teaching.
Proponents say it should be allowed as part of religious expression; opponents call it a violation of human and civil rights.
While municipalities such as Rocky Mountain House and St. Albert have legislated bans on conversion therapy, the Jason Kenney UCP government has not moved forward with a province-wide ban.
The NDP official Opposition is calling for an Alberta ban, with Critic for Women Janis Irwin saying, “Many Alberta municipalities have stepped up to show leadership. It’s time for Jason Kenney and the UCP to do the same.”
Mountain View County reeve Bruce Beattie says instead of waiting for other municipalities or the province to act, the federal government should pass legislation banning the conversion therapy nation-wide.
“I believe it should fall under federal jurisdiction,” said Beattie. “Is a municipal bylaw a tool to protect people’s civil rights? No. I really believe it should be a federal issue and protected under the constitution.
“We shouldn’t have to pass a bylaw to protect people’s rights. I think the protection from hate crimes and protection from those types of things falls into the same group of rights that people are entitled to and that shouldn’t be infringed on by people who think that they know better.”
The fight over conversion therapy has been going on across Canada for years, with municipal councils such as those in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver holding debates and passing legislation.
This piece-meal approach has led to a situation where conversion therapy is now unlawful in some jurisdictions and lawful in others.
Is it right for there to be one set of rule for urban residents, like those in Calgary and Edmonton, and another set of rules for people living in Mountain View and Red Deer counties?
Dan Singleton is an editor with The Albertan
