No, Mr. Speaker, I have not seen anything that would lead me to believe there is any kind of crisis in marriage in Canada.
In fact, the only thing we have seen since the passage of the Civil Marriage Act and since the court decisions is that more couples who strongly believe in the institution of marriage, who believe in the values and traditions of marriage, who believe in the commitment that marriage involves, have been able to take on those responsibilities and those commitments. They have been able to stand before their friends, families, colleagues and communities and make commitments and promises to each other. I think that should fill us all with joy and happiness. I think it is something to celebrate. I think it has been celebrated across the country.
If 12,500 gay and lesbian couples have made that kind of commitment and those kinds of promises since the laws began to change in Canada, and if they invited people to those ceremonies--and we all invite people to weddings--then thousands if not millions of other Canadians have participated in witnessing those commitments, in standing up to support those couples, and in saying that they are going to respect their relationships and nurture those relationships. Those witnesses stand in pride with them to say that this contributes to building families and contributes to our communities. I think that is a very positive thing.
The only observations we can make in light of the change in the law and in light of the court decisions are positive ones that will benefit our society, that will benefit our families and that will benefit the institution of marriage in the long run.