This bill is from the 43rd Parliament, 2nd session, which ended in August 2021.
Cathay Wagantall Conservative
Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)
Defeated, as of June 2, 2021
(This bill did not become law.)
This is from the published bill.
This enactment amends the Criminal Code to make it an offence for a medical practitioner to perform an abortion knowing that the abortion is sought solely on the grounds of the child’s genetic sex. It also requires the Minister of Health, after consultation with representatives of the provincial governments responsible for health, to establish guidelines respecting information provided by a medical practitioner in relation to a request for an abortion.
All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.
Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-233s:
Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is 2021, yet there are still those who would debate a woman's right to choose what happens to her own body. Today we will be voting on a Conservative MP's bill, Bill C-233, which is yet another attempt to police women's bodies. It is an attack on women's autonomy over their bodies by the Conservatives.
Canadian women need to know. Will the Prime Minister stand against Bill C-233 and stand up for women's rights across our country?
John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Mr. Speaker, I present a petition on behalf of my New Brunswick constituents calling for Parliament to end the abhorrent practice of sex-selective abortions in Canada. Abortions based on gender are currently legally permitted in Canada, yet there is a broad consensus to prohibit them as 84% of Canadians agree that sex-selective abortions should not be permitted.
I hope the House of Commons will reflect this consensus when we vote Wednesday on Bill C-233.
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition I have to present comes from Canadians across Canada who are opposed to the discriminatory practice of sex-selective abortion.
The petitioners note that sex selection is completely legal and that 84% of Canadians, regardless of their views on abortion, think that sex-selective abortion should be illegal. The petitioners state that several organizations around the world have recognized the damages and impacts of the absence of girls. Additionally, Canada's health care professionals recognize that sex selection is a problem in Canada.
The petitioners call for the quick passage of Bill C-233.
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls upon the House of Commons to pass a Criminal Code prohibition of sex-selective abortion. It is in response to Bill C-233. This is legal in Canada. It is antithetical to our commitment to human rights and equality between men and women. Many polls show that the vast majority of Canadians want to see this in our laws, and Canadian health care professionals are recognizing as well that this is a problem in Canada.
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Madam Speaker, my second petition is in regard to Bill C-233, the sex-selective abortion act, calling on the Parliament of Canada to pass an amendment to the Criminal Code prohibiting sex-selective abortion, on the basis that the majority of Canadians believe that it should be illegal to have an abortion if the family does not want the child to be a certain sex: i.e., 16% of Canadians would not agree with this bill. Canada has no legal restrictions, so it is antithetical to our commitment to equality between men and women not to do so.
Helena Jaczek Liberal Markham—Stouffville, ON
Mr. Speaker, in a time when women have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, the opposition wants to add to their burden by taking away their right to choose. Women's advocacy groups disagree with the extreme measures proposed in Bill C-233. This is not the time to debate women's rights; it is the time to uplift and support their economic recovery.
Will the Prime Minister recommit to this House that he will always stand up for a woman's right to choose?
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in the House on behalf of constituents across Canada who are expressing their concern over sex-selective abortion, which is legal in Canada because we have no restrictions at all.
The petitioners say that sex-selective abortion is antithetical to our commitment to equality between men and women, and that at this point in time, a DART poll indicates that 84% of Canadians feel that this should be considered illegal.
I am pleased to stand on their behalf, and I appreciate their support of my private member's bill, Bill C-233.
Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present an important petition that calls on the House to ban the misogynistic practice of sex selective abortion in Canada.
The petitioners recognize that a vast majority of Canadians believe that abortion should not be performed solely due to parents' preference for their baby's sex, that the practice is antithetical to the principle that men and women have equal value and that many Canadian health care professionals acknowledge that this is a real problem in Canada.
I am proud to support Bill C-233, presented by my colleague, the member for Yorkton—Melville, and I hope the government will work to move the bill forward. I truly believe that all members agree that no baby girl should have her life taken away because her parents want a boy.
Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is on sex-selective abortion.
The petitioners note that sex selection is antithetical to our commitment to equality between men and women, and that 84% of Canadians agree that it should be illegal to have an abortion simply because a family does not want a child to be a certain sex. The petitioners call on this chamber to pass a Criminal Code prohibition of sex-selective abortion.
Members of the House will have the opportunity to pass Bill C-233 to address this inequality, and I encourage all members to do exactly that.
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Mr. Speaker, for months Canadians have adapted to painful new realities. They are making sacrifices every day and expect their elected representatives to be their present voice in Ottawa. However, the government has stripped Parliament of its work and continues to deny Canadians that voice.
Preventing discussion on private members' bills means that my privilege and responsibility as a member of Parliament has been held captive. In February, I had the honour of tabling Bill C-233, the sex-selective abortion act. The bill would prohibit a medical practitioner from performing an abortion if the reason is the sex of the preborn child.
My constituents, and indeed 84% of Canadians, have been clear that sex-selective abortion is not permissible in Canada, yet we know it happens in our country because we have no law against it.
It is time for Canada and the Prime Minister to stand up for human rights and end inequality between the sexes from the earliest stages of life. It is time to restore Parliament and continue this vital conversation.
Sex-selective Abortion ActRoutine Proceedings
February 26th, 2020 / 3:45 p.m.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-233, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sex-selective abortion).
Mr. Speaker, in Canada we value human rights and equality. At home and around the world, we are known for our voice in championing equality between men and women, between girls and boys. We as legislators in the House of Commons have the responsibility to act on behalf of Canadians on an issue that is widely condemned and flies in the face of equality between the sexes.
I am pleased to introduce my private member's bill, the sex-selective abortion act, and I thank the member for Battlefords—Lloydminster for seconding the bill.
It is true that the majority of Canadians agree with having access to abortions. It is also true that 84% of Canadians stand against sex-selection abortions.
I look forward to debate in the House.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)