Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today on behalf of Canadians who have signed this petition on the concept of marriage.
Recent court rulings have created a sense of public confusion on the definition of marriage and spouse. It is the intent of this petition to set the record straight and to ask parliament to accept the concept of marriage as the voluntary union of a single, unmarried male and a single, unmarried female.
Further, it asks parliamentarians to ensure that marriage, as it has always been known and understood in Canada, be preserved and protected.
I thank those who have signed this petition for representing their views to parliament. Today we have an opportunity to debate this issue—