Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to thank my colleague for proposing this amendment.
The witnesses often raised this before the committee. I am happy that we can discuss this and debate it together today. We have even seen a report from UNICEF, I believe, that proposed reviewing the possibility of establishing 18 as the minimum age to marry. It's interesting because it might be more in keeping with the international treaties that Canada has signed.
Actually, it is difficult to understand why the bill proposes the age of 16 years. Perhaps my colleague can explain why it is age 16 and not age 17 or 18, as is the practice in many other countries. I would especially like to point out that this amendment would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to marry.
It would be very important for young people who want to marry to be able to do so, but they must also be able to express their free and full consent, rather than have it be the parent, for example, who can give consent for the marriage of a minor. The experts who testified often made that comment, and I think it is a very important one. So I am somewhat in favour of this amendment.
I would like to know what the government's opinion is on this and why it chose age 16 rather than age 18.