Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the question and for participating at the committee. The Civil Marriage Act has been raised a number of times in this House today. I will speak to the Civil Marriage Act in terms of the specific provisions, which referred to specific re

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, with respect to our country, Bill C-14, medical assistance in dying, is a transformation in terms of our thinking and in terms of the discussion around medical assistance in dying. We have had the opportunity to engage with a diversity of opinions, a diversity of e

Interparliamentary Delegations  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 56.1(1), I move: That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House on Tuesday, May the 17th, 2016, and on Wednesday, May the 18th, 2016, the House continue to sit beyond the ordinary hour of daily adjournment for the

Interparliamentary Delegations  Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions with parties and, if you seek it, I hope that you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: that notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, on Tuesday, May the 17th, 2016, and on Wednesday, May the 18th,

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, this is a deeply personal and complex issue, and we have sought to move forward and introduce Bill C-14, a piece of legislation that provides what we believe to be the best option for our country at this time. We have heard from a diversity of perspectives. The obj

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's question. To reiterate what I stated in my comments, there is nothing in this federal legislation that would compel medical practitioners to participate in medical assistance in dying. I am very pleased that all parties at the Standing

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I rise in this House to address the opposition motion concerning the conscience rights of health care professionals. The motion directly relates to Bill C-14, a historic piece of legislation that would create a legislative framework governing the provision of medica

Justice  Mr. Speaker, we are committed to ensuring that we make substantive and thoughtful appointments to the judiciary. I will ensure and am committed to engaging with stakeholders, including the judiciary, on these appointments. We are committed to a review of the judicial appointment

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I have been tasked by the Prime Minister to undertake a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system, including sentencing reform. We are moving forward with this review, engaging with stakeholders, engaging with experts in this area, to ensure that we provide

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I recognize the importance of making appointments to the judiciary across the country and doing that based on merit, based on diversity. We are entering into a comprehensive process to do that. Having said that, I do recognize that there are a number of positions th

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate that our government is committed to helping ensure that all Canadians feel protected from discrimination. This includes protecting transgendered people from discrimination and hate propaganda. We will be bringing forward legislation on this matt

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the honourable colleague across the way for his tireless advocacy with respect to gender identity. Our government is committed to bringing forward legislation that will respect and ensure that we eliminate discrimination in all forms in this co

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I would have liked to see the colleague across the way at the debates yesterday, and have him provided the opportunity to speak in those debates. Rather than standing in the way of unlimited debates, perhaps the Conservatives could have allowed that unlimited debate

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleague across the way would agree with me that we need to respect the institution of the Supreme Court of Canada, which delivered a decision in Carter on February 6, 2015. It initially had a 12-month period before invalidity came in. When we formed go

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, as I said, the Supreme Court decision in Carter came out on February 6, 2015. Several weeks later, the now Prime Minister introduced in this House a motion to form a special committee, on February 24, that would do specifically what we have done over the last months