MP Notes Traditional Definition of Marriage Already Enshrined in Statute Law

OTTAWA, August 12, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Liberal MP Joe Volpe, used the pages of the Globe and Mail today to remind Canadians that the traditional definition of marriage, as one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, is actually enshrined in recent Canadian law.  Not only did Parliament pass a motion in 1999 to protect the traditional definition of marriage, but in 2000 the government passed Bill C-23 providing spousal benefits to homosexual couples but containing the common law definition of marriage. Thus, the common law definition was made part of statute law   Given the 1999 House motion vote and the enshrinement in statute of the traditional definition of marriage, Volpe says, “That’s why, in not appealing the Ontario Court of Appeal decision, the Prime Minister broke his covenant with the House and with the Liberal caucus.”  Volpe also charged that the “Ontario court’s aggressive ruling sets aside these parliamentary decisions as if they were yesterday’s newspaper.”  Moreover, he said the court had the audacity “to supercede the law of the land, since neither Bill C-23 nor any of its sections has been challenged in court.”  Volpe still sees hope for protecting marriage as he says, “for most MPs, marriage remains the cornerstone of society, not some government response to the most recent lobby.”  See Volpe’s article in the Globe:  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030812.uvolpe0812/BNPrint/National/