Mr. Speaker, I find it somewhat tragic that members of Parliament, even within their own party are sometimes not able to express themselves on matters and amendments they bring before this House of Commons which are not only represented by their own conscience but I am sure by the wishes and intentions of constituents. I found it unfortunate that the member for Winnipeg St. James did not permit the member for Scarborough West to do that. However, under the circumstances I fully understand.
I was elected to this House of Commons after some 20 years as a member of the Liberal Party. I have worked very hard to help the likes of the Hon. Paul Cosgrove, as well as my colleague the hon. member for Scarborough-Rouge River, and provincially individuals like Alvin Curling. I believed the Liberal Party represented the most important aspect of Canadian life, the freedom of speech.
Regrettably, this bill does more to divide members and certainly confuse constituents because it was not clearly articulated in the last election. Speaking to the motions by the member for Hamilton-Wentworth, I find it important that members of Parliament have an opportunity to articulate matters which are a fundamental concern to all Canadians. The reason for this is very simple.
In the last election we did not campaign on Bill C-33. Nowhere in the red book will be found any discussion about the desire by the government to move to in some way uphold, protect or remove a certain discrimination which probably exists but exists right across the political spectrum and is not exclusive simply to gays and lesbians. Bill C-33 was not mentioned in the throne speech although there are some who are concerned and seem to make the argument that it was.
As we speak many people in Canada are waking up this morning only to find to their shock and dismay that we have undertaken a bill which if not checked, if not amended, will radically transform the definition of family as we understand it. Those are not my words. Those are the words of Supreme Court Chief Justice Antonio Lamer. I am quoting what he said in the Mossop case, it is not obiter dictum: "If Parliament had decided to include sexual orientation in a list of prohibited grounds of discrimination, my interpretation of the phrase family status might have been entirely different".
It is very clear what the court is prepared to do once this House gives in a very limited way its approval to end discrimination based on sexual orientation, at least in the Canadian Human Rights Act.
Unlike what we have seen in the provinces, such as the province of Ontario where I come from and which my riding is named after, in 1986 the government amended its Ontario human rights provision. Nine years later there was a motion before that same legislature to deal with the question of same sex benefits which radically altered the definition of family for the purposes of Ontario's laws.
That step from 1986 to 1994 was not coincidental. Even though the House at the time rejected it on a free vote, it is interesting to
note that certain justices in the court of Ontario had taken great liberties with what took place in 1986.
Last year many Ontarians were somewhat shocked to find out that a justice had decided that in certain instances adoptions are acceptable. Whether or not that constitutes in rem a question of discrimination is one thing. Clearly Parliament has an obligation to raise this in the eyes of the public. If we are not prepared to do that, I think we fail in our responsibility as representatives.
That the bill is going through the House at record speed is of grave concern not simply for this member of Parliament but for the 230,000 constituents I represent.
Although Group No. 1 talks to many substantive and important motions, my concern as a member remains let us not use the bill as a Trojan Horse to implement same sex benefits or to in some way assail, undermine or redefine or socially reinvent the term family.
There are some things which are based on political correctness, but 10,000 years of tradition cannot be defied. I therefore ask that these motions be duly considered for support.