Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to close the third hour of debate on the bill. I want to personally thank all those members who took part in the debate.
As many members know, this bill has a long history. In the last Parliament my good friend from Ottawa West championed the cause of grandparents. She presented petitions containing over 8,000 names requesting that the Divorce Act be amended to give grandparents status before the courts in the case of divorce of their married children along with status to ensure that the presiding judge would take into consideration the rights of grandparents to grandchildren.
My good friend from Nepean, who could not be with us tonight, has worked very hard on this. I have been talking with her on many occasions on this bill, which both of us had before the House.
More important, this bill addresses the cause of many grandchildren across the country who seek access to their grandparents. I have had the great privilege in the past few months to meet and speak to literally hundreds of grandparents across the country. They tell me that what they want is the opportunity to be heard in the courts.
There have been many concerns expressed about the part of the bill that gives grandparents the right to make inquiries about the child, inquiries the parents may not have the right to make. This can be amended in committee.
It is my belief that the bill will reduce litigation, not increase it. All outstanding issues will be dealt with at the same time under the same judge.
Again, I would like to thank everyone present. I urge all members to vote in favour of sending this bill to committee for further study.