Garry Breitkreuz, M.P.
Yorkton-Melville		 News Release

For Immediate Delivery

June 8, 1999

BREITKREUZ SECONDS REFORM MOTION TO DEFINE MARRIAGE

"Stop the slide down the slippery slope – marriage is only for a man and a woman."

Ottawa – Today in the House of Commons, Garry Breitkreuz, M.P. for Yorkton-Melville, seconded the Reform motion declaring that "marriage is and should remain the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others."

"The government is letting the courts use the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to bypass Parliament. The government does nothing to stop this erosion of our democratic process! It’s not the court’s fault. It’s the government’s fault for doing nothing to stop it!" exclaimed Breitkreuz. "Step by step, little by little, case by case, the will of the people and Parliament is undermined. When will it stop? I say the time is now to stop going down this slippery slope. Right now, today! No more erosion of our fundamental beliefs! Send a clear message to the courts that definition of marriage is sacrosanct. Surely, the courts would not have the audacity to defy such a clear statement from the duly elected representatives of the people of Canada? Or would they?" asked Breitkreuz.

"The government started sliding down this slippery slope more than ten years ago when the Progressive Conservatives passed laws that gave common law couples the same rights as married couples. This led the Supreme Court to conclude in the recent M and H decision that a spouse is anyone you live and have sexual relations with, and a family is nothing more than a private relationship between two individuals."

"The basic building block of society is the family," observed Breitkreuz. "Reformers are very concerned that the erosion of the family will take place if traditional marriage isn’t defended. It’s our children that will be hurt the most if we don’t defend traditional marriage in our society."

"What’s the solution? Well, that was written by columnist, Charles W. Moore, in an article titled, "Re-defining spouse" which appeared in the Montreal Gazette on May 26th. Moore concluded, "The sensible remedy is a return to recognizing traditional legal marriages at least theoretically capable of naturally producing children as uniquely eligible for spousal privileges, subsidies and employment benefits. All other domestic arrangements heterosexual or homosexual – should be deemed purely private relationships that society has no interest in subsidizing. It might take a political or constitutional revolution to accomplish this, but the alternative is continued disintegration of our civilization." Breitkreuz concluded, "Well said, Mr. Moore. I say, let us start the revolution today by defining marriage once and for all time."

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For more information, please call:

Yorkton Office: (306) 782-3309
Ottawa Office: (613) 992-4394
e-mail: breitg0@parl.gc.ca