Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present two petitions today.
The first petition is in regard to the notwithstanding clause in relation to the issue of marriage. The petitioners simply want to draw to the attention of the House the fact that they disagree with the Ontario Court of Appeal decision that the definition of marriage is unconstitutional. They also want to point out that the Constitution provides for an override, referred to as the notwithstanding clause, section 33, and therefore the petitioners call upon Parliament to invoke the notwithstanding clause and pass laws so that the definition of marriage will be the legal union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others.
The second petition is with regard to the June 1999 position of Parliament on the matter of the definition of marriage. The petitioners want to remind the House that on June 8, 1999, by a vote of 216 to 55, the House did ratify and reaffirm the definition of marriage. The petitioners therefore would again call upon Parliament to take all necessary means to maintain and support the above definition of marriage in Canada.