Thank you very much.
The bill was conceived very early in the process. I had been working.... In 2017, I co-authored the external review of the women in Saskatoon who had been sterilized without consent at the Saskatoon hospital. That was made public in 2017. At that time, I had been asked by the survivors to criminalize this act. Because of the historical context with indigenous people, I was reluctant. I did not want to use the Criminal Code, because somehow it's always going to get turned against the indigenous people.
It wasn't until we had completed the second study at the Senate human rights committee, called “The Scars that We Carry”. The first recommendation was to create legislation that would criminalize the forced and coerced sterilization of people. I was instrumental in bringing survivors to speak at that time. We needed to hear their voices. It's critical. We have to hear their voices. When we heard their voices, and I had direction from the human rights committee, I said, I have to do this. The women have asked for it. They've begged me for it, and I will not turn my back on them. It was at that time that the drafting began, and Bill S-250 was introduced in June 2022. That was the beginning of it.
The last part of your question is about who would not support this bill. I think when people really understand the bill, they'll see that it's a positive thing rather than a negative thing. Bill S-228 has been carefully targeted to address non-consensual sterilization, and it does not criminalize lawful, medically necessary or consent-based care. Nothing changes there. All it does is that it specifically targets when there is no consent for sterilization. Physician requirements to adhere to professional standards, regulatory guidelines and ethical obligations remain the same. They remain intact. Bill S-228 does not alter these duties at all. It reinforces them, but it provides greater legal clarity. You cannot sterilize people without consent. It's simple.