Press Release/Communique

Date: June 12th, 2003

For Release: Immediate

STECKLE DENOUNCES THE DECISION OF THE JUSTICE COMMITTEE

OTTAWA - Paul Steckle, the Member of Parliament for Huron-Bruce, today unreservedly

confirmed his support for the traditional definition of marriage as underscored by the House of Commons on June 8th, 1999. That motion, which was supported by the Prime Minister, the Justice Minister, by the federal cabinet and by a majority of the Members of the House of Commons read “That, in the opinion of this House, it is necessary, in light of public debate around recent court decisions, to state that marriage is and should remain the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, and that Parliament will take all steps within the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Canada to preserve this definition of marriage in Canada." The next day, the Minister of Justice at the time was quoted in the Montreal Gazette (June 9th, 1999) as saying, "A marriage is a union between one man and one woman... We on this side of the House agree that the institution of marriage is a central and important institution in the lives of many Canadians. Indeed, worldwide, it plays an important part in all society, second only to the fundamental importance of family." Steckle added, "I strongly support the stand that federal lawyers took in the Ontario Court. Marriage embodies the complementary of the two human sexes -it is not simply a shopping list of functional attributes, but a unique, opposite-sex bond that is common across different times, cultures and religions as a virtually universal norm. Marriage is a relationship that is as old as time itself. It existed prior to our laws and is a core building block of modern society that must be preserved."

Today, despite the above, the Standing Committee on Justice voted 9 to 8 in favour of changing the definition of marriage so as to include homosexual relationships. Steckle concluded by saying, "This is totally unacceptable. I cannot believe that some Members of the Committee would seek to dismantle an institution such as marriage. I intend to work to see that the government does not accept this Committee decision and that indeed we live up to our previous commitment to preserve traditional heterosexual marriage. I believe that Parliament's will supersedes that of any Committee.”