Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Canadians from across the country will be meeting with MPs, asking us to decriminalize payment to sperm and egg donors and surrogates. Under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, intended parents who require assistance to have a child, including cancer patients, infertile couples, and members of the LGBTQ2 community, can be subject to a maximum fine of $500,000 or imprisonment for up to 10 years for simply offering to pay a sperm or gamete donor or surrogate. As a result, many Canadians either lose the opportunity to become parents or are forced to look to jurisdictions such as the United States where payment to donors and surrogates is legal but unfortunately health regulations are much looser. I therefore invite my colleagues from all sides of this House to join with me in support of amending the AHRA to stop criminalizing people who just want to love a child of their own.
In the House of Commons on December 4th, 2017. See this statement in context.