Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to address the bill at this stage.
In the debate of these amendments we have heard that perhaps the government members and other members in the House who support the bill may be supporting a bill that does not get quite sophisticated enough with the issues that are driving the legislation. We have heard that perhaps the title, modernization of benefits, should drive the entire legislation and should allow us by reason only of the title itself to begin reviewing all elements of the social safety net, the means by which the Government of Canada with the support of taxpayers provides a social safety net infrastructure for all Canadians.
I for one reject that suggestion. I certainly do not blame members in opposition for constructively criticizing the legislation before the House, but the bill was not intended to be a review of a reconfiguration or a reworking of the entire federal social safety net. It was not intended to do that.
The bill was intended to redress a number of items in a lot of government legislation. These areas are certainly referred to in the amendments and in the bill.
I want to confirm for the record and for my constituents, if anyone thought the bill attempted to redefine marriage, that it certainly does not. It was never intended to. In case anybody thought the bill might in some way do something or fail to do something that impacted on the definition of marriage in Canada, an amendment at committee inserted into the preamble of the bill, right up front for everybody to see, an explicit reconfirmation of the definition of marriage in Canada.
I suppose one might have tackled this point another way. One might have reopened every federal statute referred to in this omnibus bill and inserted a definition. In the view of a number of members that was not necessary because the definition of marriage in Canadian law is already very clear.
Originally it was articulated by the courts in Canada some 125 years ago. A definition that has been around and clearly stated for 125 years could not possibly be unclear to anyone. Along with a resolution adopted by the House approximately a year ago, the definition is very clear.