Patrick Doyle/CP File photo of a flag raising ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 20, 2018.

OTTAWA — New legislation introduced in the Senate proposes to change the Criminal Code to make it illegal to advertise conversion therapy to children. Conversion therapy is a discredited counselling practice that claims to "cure" LGBTQ2+ people of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It's based on pseudoscience that has been disproven worldwide, but is still offered in Canada. Senate Liberal Serge Joyal tabled Bill S-260 Tuesday to discourage "these practices and treatments in light of their negative consequences, particularly for young people." It seeks to amend the Criminal Code to ban conversion therapy advertising to minors under the age of 18 and to criminalize receiving a financial or material benefit from the practice. People convicted under the two new provisions could face up to five years in prison, if the bill becomes law. Watch: What is 'conversion therapy'?

The move comes on the heels of an online petition from Devon Hargreaves of Lethbridge, Alta., who called on the federal government to bar conversion therapy for Canadian children. The petition, which was sponsored by NDP MP Sheri Benson, garnered more than 18,000 signatures in four months. "I'm pleased to see the senator continuing to fight to rid our nation of this harmful practice, as it is not supported by any reputable medical or psychological association," the Saskatoon West MP said in an email. The bill comes after two years of advocacy work on the issue, Hargreaves told HuffPost Canada. He called it "amazing" to see the bill move at the federal level after provinces including Ontario and Manitoba have taken measures to ban conversion therapy. Justice Minister David Lametti responded to the petition in February, calling conversion therapies "immoral," "painful," and practices that "do not reflect the values of our government or those of Canadians." However, the federal government's official response noted the issue falls under health professional regulation, "which is a provincial and territorial responsibility."