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But a parliamentary committee that studied the bill heard from four constitutional lawyers, three of whom said the bill was sound from a constitutional point of view, that it did not target any particular commercial sector and, therefore, did not infringe on provincial powers.

Trudeau was not in the House of Commons for the vote Wednesday night — he was in Toronto meeting the board of directors of New York-based investment behemoth Blackrock Inc. — but he had ordered all his cabinet ministers to vote against the bill. Those that were in the House of Commons did just that.

But support for Trudeau’s position among the Liberal backbench was thin and S-201 cleared its last legislative hurdle by a vote of 222-60.

Insurance company representatives had testified that, if S-201 passed and became law — as it will before the end of spring — premiums for some kinds of insurance, including life insurance could skyrocket.

An actuary working for the insurance committee testifed last fall at the Commons justice committee that premiums for men would jump 30 per cent and would jump 50 per cent for women.

But MPs refused to buy that spin and instead, based their vote on the testimony of many healthcare providers, charities and others who were more concerned about protecting privacy rights while helping people benefit from emerging gene therapies.