Mr. Speaker, I listened to the member's speech and he used some language that was hard, polluted and everything else, and that is fine and fair. That is what democracy is all about. Everybody can come in the House and voice an opinion.
Parliamentary democracy, as we know it, has been here for something like 25 centuries. On the same token, the privilege of being married, the institution of marriage, of having someone to call a partner, a wife, a spouse, is something that has come down over the centuries.
As we respect democracy and as we respect other's opinions, we also have to respect the opinions of our constituents. When we run for election we say what we stand for and we make it clear if we have a personal vision. I did not tell my constituents my vision on this particular item but I listened very carefully over the summer as to where they wanted me to take this. I received close to 1,500 unsolicited phone calls, e-mails and letters from people who told me they were opposed to same sex marriage. On the same token, I received very few, close to 20 or 25, from people saying they were in support of same sex marriage.
As a matter of fact today I had an e-mail from a couple, two mothers, with a 10 year old son. They told me there was another point of view. They said that they did not intend to get married and I value their opinions.
In 1999 the House overwhelmingly said that a union is between a man and a woman and this House should do whatever it can to protect those basic words.
We are here today to exercise democracy. We are here today to join in this debate. We are here today to take a vote on where the House will go. I will have to listen to the voice of my constituents and vote in the way they want me to.
Therefore I take exception when the member across says that the Liberal members have polluted. I disagree with him and I urge him to rethink his statement.