37^th Parliament, 3^rd Session
(February 2, 2004 - )

Edited Hansard • Number 052

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

PETITIONS

Marriage

[Hansard – Page 2999]

 Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the second petition I would like to present is with regard to preserving the traditional definition of marriage. These petitioners point out that in 1999 Parliament voted to preserve the traditional definition of marriage, and a recent court decision has redefined marriage contrary to the wishes of Parliament. Now the government wants Parliament to vote on new legislation, but only after it has been approved by the Supreme Court. This is a dangerous new precedent for democracy in Canada. Elected members of Parliament should decide the marriage issue, not appointed judges. The petitioners are calling on Parliament to hold a renewed debate on the definition of marriage and to reaffirm, as it did in 1999, the traditional definition.

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