Madam Speaker, I rise today to address at report stage Bill C-33 and to discuss the issue itself.
There has been much debate about issues concerning the rights and status of gays and lesbians in society. It is an issue of vital importance. It involves many aspects of social policy.
This is a divisive issue. Whether members argue in favour of this bill or against it, it should not be construed, as some in the House have done, that they are bigots, racists or prejudiced. There are solid arguments on both sides of this issue. There are many Canadians who feel both ways on this issue, as witnessed by many of the polls. Therefore it is our obligation to listen to what everyone has to say and not start branding and labelling each other as bigots and racists, as has been happening this past week.
This issue involves two things, and the legal rights of the individual should not be construed as legal rights of groups. The first is the matter of discrimination and the legal rights of the individual. The equality rights provision in section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not specifically prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, although several court decisions and a number of analyses have concluded that section 15 is open and does cover sexual orientation. In other words, many argue and judges have ordered that it be read into court decisions, that it is there. Therefore many believe it should be specifically written in the charter along with race and the rest on the list.
One of the amendments the Reform Party will be putting forward is not to have a list. We believe in the equality of all citizens and all peoples, and no one, no matter who they are or what they are, should be discriminated against, period. It is the list that causes confusion. It is the list that causes hatred. It is the list that needs to be removed.
On the legal rights of the group, there is the slippery slope argument that if we add the words sexual orientation it will lead to same sex benefits and same sex marriage, which at the present time in Canada are not permitted. Spouse is defined in heterosexual terms, not homosexual terms. These are the fears many in Canada have, that this bill will lead to something else. They are against
discrimination, as I am, but they are also against same sex benefits, same sex marriage, same sex adoption and erosion of the family.
Why not define sexual orientation? Why not look at the list and not have a list? Those are some questions this party has asked. On that basis many on the other side are saying we are for discrimination.
I stand before the House and I say I am against discrimination but I am also against same sex marriages, same sex adoption and same sex benefits because those are rights and benefits society gives, and they are privileges. It is not against the law for an employer not to grant same sex benefits. If they want to do it, they can. It should not be the law that they must. There is a fear that this will lead to that. I do not have that problem but some do. I am trying to point out there are arguments on both sides.
If this bill passes, as it will because the Liberals have enough members to vote for it, if the homosexual communities then use the Canadian Human Rights Act to say in a legal argument, in a court case, that because company X has denied same sex benefits it is discriminating against them, that will be wrong. That will be totally wrong and it will prove that those people who voted against this bill on that slippery slope argument are correct.
That is why both sides of this argument should have respect. That is why both sides of this argument should restore some sanity to this issue and look at it on a more rational and reasonable basis rather than getting carried away with the emotional element.
I have done something in my riding which is very important to the Reform Party. It represents how we are doing politics differently. We have our policies and our principles on which we were elected and which we are here to represent. We have policies and principles in our blue book which I will defend at all times.
We also have a way to represent people between election years. If I get a sense that people in my riding do not wish me to vote with my caucus, or if they wish me to vote in support of the government on a certain bill, if my ears perks up-on this issue they have because it is a divisive issue-I will do what I did earlier. Two years ago in my first householder I talked about this issue and indicated what the Minister of Justice was planning. We had town hall meetings. I sent a survey to all households to which I received 1,470 responses. In Calgary Centre the response was very strong that I should vote yes to support such an amendment.
Since that time the issue has been percolating. I feel confident that people in Calgary Centre, that little cosmos, that little part of the world, deserve and should have the benefit of a member of Parliament who will take the time to find out what they think.
Subsequently I conducted a scientific random sampling poll. I hired a professional firm. I have just finished the poll with the results. I have the report in my hands. There were three questions this time around. I asked the very same question as the Angus Reid poll which was held at the end of April, a poll that said 59 per cent of Canadians were in favour of amending the Canadian Human Rights Act.
However, if the results were broken down by province, 57 per cent of Albertans were against adding sexual orientation to the Canadian Human Rights Act. Manitoba and Saskatchewan were lumped together to produce a figure of 49 per cent against, even though they have provincial legislation that includes sexual orientation.
There is proof that a lot of Canadians are against this. To call those people who are against this bill prejudiced and bigoted is not right. I wish the people on the other side would stop doing that. Everybody has a right to their opinions and everybody has the right to vote according to either their conscience or the wishes of their constituents.