OTTAWA — Survivors are calling on Ottawa to pass legislation to criminalize non-consensual sterilization.

Heather Bear, who was sterilized without proper consent, says the bill will help protect other women like her and bring accountability and justice.

The bill would amend the Criminal Code to make sterilizing a person without obtaining informed consent an act of aggravated assault.

Sen. Yvonne Boyer, who introduced the bill in the Senate, says women have told her they were sterilized during “their most vulnerable” moments, sometimes during labour or while medicated.

She says the procedure disproportionately harms Indigenous women but has also affected people with disabilities, racialized women and members of the LGBTQ community.

The bill is up for second reading in the House of Commons on Thursday, and Conservative MP Jamie Schmale says he’s hoping the bill will pass as soon as possible.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2026.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press