Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the parliamentary secretary both for his undertaking and his commitment that the legislation will be brought forward and also for his personal commitment to equality in this issue with which I am very familiar and which I very much respect.
The obvious question I have for the member is when. How much longer will we have to wait? I remind my hon. friend that in fact the same commitment was made in the House in December 1999. The minister herself said then that we would be moving ahead within months.
I have tabled a private member's bill that would explicitly amend the code to include sexual orientation. Is the parliamentary secretary prepared to consult with the minister as to the possibility that we may be able to move ahead with my bill, assuming that it meets the objectives that we agreed to in the House at the earliest possible occasion in the new year?