Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to my hon. friend that my leader is concerned about the BSE issue. In fact he led a delegation to Washington and spoke with representatives of the congress, the senate, as well as the president's people on this very important issue. I think it is quite inappropriate to chastise us on that issue.
The issue we have before us is an issue that is here because of the actions of the government. The member talked about three courts in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec finding that maintaining the traditional definition of marriage was contrary to the Charter of Rights. What I find curious and what I would like the member to comment on is that the Supreme Court of Canada, as recently as 1995 in the Egan case, found that marriage was the union of one man and one woman; that is to say that the Supreme Court of Canada found in favour of the traditional definition of marriage. It was fully aware of the obligations that the Charter of Rights imposes on all of us. Justice La Forest stated that because of its importance legal marriage may be viewed as fundamental to the stability and well-being of the family.