Mr. Speaker, I think it is about time we cleared the air a little bit about some of the rhetoric.
The bill does not create equality. For that reason alone this member should be voting against the bill. It is not equal because same gender couples, heterosexual and homosexual, must wait for one year before they qualify for benefits. It is not equal to married couples and the definition of marriage will not be changed in the legislation. The definition of marriage, under the common law of Canada, is defined as a union between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others.
The member is absolutely incorrect. This does not create equality. Many people have said that in the next step they will go after marriage. I can tell the House today that there is no question in my mind that the vast majority of the members of the House will not support the change in the definition of marriage.
The member refers to a cost of $10 million and that somehow the government should have moved quicker on this. The facts are that only 1.6% of all same sex partners will ever qualify for benefits under the changes proposed in this legislation. Officials have estimated that the government will make money on the changes because things like the GST credit will no longer extend to two persons but rather to only one partnership in which the partner income will be a clawback determinant.
Let us be clear. This bill is not about equality between same sex partners and married persons. It is very different. The member should acknowledge that because there is a discriminatory clause that says that there is a one year waiting period which will exclude 98.6% of all same sex partners she should be voting against the bill.