Madam Speaker, the hon. member opposite has gone on at great length about what the courts have and have not done. The definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others goes back to the court case of Hyde and Hyde in 1866.
I point out a recent case in Ontario. In the Ontario court, general division, there was the case of Layland and Beaulne, which dealt with the definition of marriage. In that decision a majority of the court stated as follows:
—unions of persons of the same sex were not “marriages” because of the definition of marriage. The applicants were, in effect, seeking to use section 15 of the Charter to bring about a change in the definition of marriage. The court did not think the Charter has that effect.
Unions of persons of the same sex were not marriages.
In light of that statement, in that unanimous decision by the court, what is the problem? Why are they so concerned about it? It is there. The courts are saying exactly what they want them to say. Can the member reconcile the statement made by the court with what he has said today?