Bill C-268 (Historical)

Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act

An Act to amend the Criminal Code (intimidation of health care professionals)

This bill is from the 43rd Parliament, 2nd session, which ended in August 2021.

Sponsor

Kelly Block Conservative

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Second reading (House), as of May 27, 2021
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment amends the Criminal Code to make it an offence to intimidate a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, pharmacist or other health care professional for the purpose of compelling them to take part, directly or indirectly, in the provision of medical assistance in dying.
It also makes it an offence to dismiss from employment or to refuse to employ a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, pharmacist or other health care professional for the reason only that they refuse to take part, directly or indirectly, in the provision of medical assistance in dying.

Similar bills

C-230 (current session) Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act

C-418 (42nd Parliament, 1st session) Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act

C-268 (42nd Parliament, 1st session) Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of 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-268s:

C-268 (2022) Lebanese Heritage Month Act

C-268 (2013) An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (no GST on funeral arrangements)

C-268 (2011) An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (no GST on funeral arrangements)

C-268 (2010) Law An Act to amend the Criminal Code (minimum sentence for offences involving trafficking of persons under the age of eighteen years)

C-268 (2009) An Act to amend the Criminal Code (minimum sentence for offences involving trafficking of persons under the age of eighteen years)

Protection of Freedom of Conscience ActRoutine Proceedings

February 18th, 2021 / 10:10 a.m.

Conservative

Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-268, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (intimidation of health care professionals).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to introduce my private member's bill, entitled the “protection of freedom of conscience act”.

I have introduced this legislation to ensure in plain language those rights guaranteed to all Canadians in the charter. This bill seeks to enshrine in law a minimum national standard of protections for the freedom of conscience of medical professionals, while respecting the jurisdiction of my provincial colleagues to expand on this bill. It would ensure that medical professionals who choose to not take part in, or refer a patient for, euthanasia or medical assistance in dying would never be forced by violence, threats, coercion or loss of employment to violate the sovereign rights we all enjoy by virtue of our citizenship in this nation.

I encourage all my colleagues in this place to ratify my bill, thereby stating unequivocally that the right to free conscience expressed in the charter applies equally to all Canadians, regardless of their chosen profession.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)