Kelowna-Lake Country MP Tracy Gray
(ROB MUNRO / iNFOnews.ca)
June 24, 2021 - 1:45 PM
Three out of four Conservatives in the Thompson and Okanagan regions voted with their leader, Erin O’Toole, to support a Liberal bill to ban conversion therapy.
Only Kelowna-Lake Country MP Tracy Gray voted against the bill that outlaws the practice of trying to change people’s sexual orientation to make them heterosexual.
Cathy McLeod (Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo), Dan Albas (Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola) and Mel Arnold (North Okanagan-Shuswap) all voted in favour.
The bill passed on Tuesday by 263 votes to 63 with 62 of 119 Conservatives voting against the bill.
“I believe conversion therapy is wrong and should be outright banned in Canada,” Gray said in an email response to questions from iNFOnews.ca “I supported Bill C-6 at second reading to go to the Justice Committee for study where many witnesses felt Bill C-6 needed improvements to its wording, including the definition and rights of parents and advisors to have conversations. Suggested amendments to simply add clarifying wording right off the Canadian Department of Justice’s own website were also turned down.”
She said she has a record of supporting LGBTQ+ causes as a Kelowna city councillor and when in business. She said she voted in favour of Kelowna’s first rainbow crosswalk and marched in each Pride parade in Kelowna from 2014 until it was cancelled last year due to COVID.
Go here to see how all MPs voted on the conversion therapy bill.
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