Presentation of Petition~ June 4th, 2003

Mr. Paul Steckle (Huron-Bruce, Lib.): Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to present a petition on behalf of petitioners from the riding of Huron-Bruce and subsequent neighbouring ridings. The petitioners have signed a petition on the issue of abortion. These petitioners believe that one Canadian child in four dies before birth as a result of induced abortion and in the absence of Canadian law, abortion on demand is available during all months of pregnancy. They believe that while residing in their mothers' wombs, Canadian children have neither legal recognition nor legal protection. Therefore they call on Parliament to enact legislation that will provide legal recognition and protection of Canadian children from fertilization to their birth.

Madam Speaker, I have two more petitions. The second one has to deal with the institution of marriage. These petitioners believe that the majority of Canadians believe that fundamental matters and social policy should be decided by elected members of Parliament and not the unelected judiciary. They also believe that the majority of Canadians support the current legal definition of marriage as the voluntary union of a single, that is unmarried, male and a single, that is unmarried, female and they call upon Parliament to use all possible legislative and administrative measures, including invoking section 33 of the Charter, the notwithstanding clause, if necessary to protect the current definition of marriage between one man and one woman.

Finally, Madam Speaker, I have a huge number of petitioners who are asking the Government of Canada, as they have many times in the past, to call upon Parliament to abolish the national firearms registry for long guns and redirect our tax dollars to programs in support of health care and the enforcement of that.