House of Commons passes bill criminalizing forced sterilization

Tulips bloom in front of the West Block of Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, May 8, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — The House of Commons has passed a long-awaited law criminalizing forced or coerced sterilization.

The law states that sterilization without legal consent constitutes aggravated assault, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

Survivors and advocates have been pushing for a change to the Criminal Code since 2015.

The Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice estimates as many as 15,000 Indigenous people have been sterilized without their consent since the 1890s, some as recently as last year.

Some physician groups, including the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, warned earlier this spring that the bill could cause doctors to worry about how they treat patients in an emergency.

The bill was put forward in the Senate last year by Sen. Yvonne Boyer and now awaits royal assent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press