The Senate is expected to issue recommendations today to end forced and coerced sterilization in Canada. The human rights commission has looked into the matter and is holding a press conference at 11am to talk about its new report. In June 2021, the same commission released a preliminary report that found “this appalling practice is not limited to the past, but clearly continues today.” The report says forced and coerced sterilization is under-reported and disproportionately affects indigenous women and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. Two Indigenous people filed a class-action lawsuit in Saskatchewan in 2017 alleging they were sterilized without consent, and over the next year more than 100 others joined. The committee’s preliminary work says survivors should be consulted and involved in making recommendations. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 14, 2022.
