Bill 17 explained in plain English
Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee Act, 2021
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd Parliament, 2nd Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
The Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee Act, 2021 establishes an advisory committee to recommend improvements for gender affirming health care in Ontario.
This Ontario bill creates the Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee. The Minister of Health must establish this committee within 60 days of the bill becoming law. The committee will have members from the transgender, two-spirit, non-binary, intersex, and gender diverse communities, as well as health care providers experienced with these communities, and other members chosen by the Minister. The committee's main job is to study and make recommendations to the Minister on how to improve access to and coverage for gender affirming health care in Ontario. The committee must consider specific areas such as enhancing coverage, reducing wait times, and ensuring equitable access. It must also consult with various health care providers and organizations. The committee has six months to submit its report to the Minister. After receiving the report, the Minister has 90 days to inform the Legislative Assembly of the recommendations the government plans to implement.
- Establishes the Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee.
- Requires the Minister of Health to establish the committee within 60 days of the Act coming into force.
- Specifies the composition of the committee, including members from the transgender, two-spirit, non-binary, intersex, and gender diverse communities, and health care providers.
- Mandates the committee to make recommendations to the Minister on improving access to and coverage for gender affirming health care.
- Requires the committee to report its recommendations to the Minister within six months of its establishment.
- Requires the Minister to inform the Legislative Assembly of the government's intended actions based on the committee's recommendations within 90 days of receiving the report.
- Minister of Health
- Members of the transgender, two-spirit, non-binary, intersex, and gender diverse communities
- Health care providers
- The public receiving or seeking gender affirming health care
- The Legislative Assembly of Ontario
- The Minister of Health has an obligation to establish the Advisory Committee within 60 days of the Act coming into force.
- The Advisory Committee has an obligation to make recommendations to the Minister on improving access to and coverage for gender affirming health care.
- The Advisory Committee has an obligation to consult with specific stakeholders.
- The Advisory Committee has an obligation to submit a report to the Minister within six months of its establishment.
- The Minister has an obligation to inform the Legislative Assembly of recommended government measures within 90 days of receiving the committee's report.
- The Act came into force on the day it received Royal Assent (Section 4).
- The Minister of Health must establish the Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee no more than 60 days after the Act comes into force (Section 2(1)).
- The Advisory Committee must report its recommendations to the Minister on or before the day that is six months after the committee is established (Section 3(4)).
- The Minister must inform the Legislative Assembly of recommendations on or before the day that is 90 days after the Advisory Committee reports its recommendations (Section 3(5)).
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council may determine remuneration and expenses for committee members, but this only applies if money has been appropriated by the Legislature for this purpose (Section 2(6) and (7)). The bill does not specify any direct financial impacts or taxes.
- The bill does not specify the exact number of members for the Advisory Committee, beyond stating that the Minister shall ensure certain groups are included.
- The bill does not specify the exact remuneration or expenses for committee members, leaving this to the Lieutenant Governor in Council, subject to legislative appropriation.
- The bill does not specify if or how the Minister's recommendations to the Assembly will be implemented or enforced beyond the obligation to inform the Assembly.
This Act establishes the Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee and outlines its functions and reporting requirements.
Source: Sections 1-5
The Advisory Committee is tasked with making recommendations regarding the expansion of insurance coverage for gender affirming treatments not currently covered under this Act.
Source: Section 3(2) para 6
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
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Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
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Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced