Paul Martin Just Fooling O’Brien? Tories Challenge PM to Come Through on C-38 Promise. Will the Committee travel across Canada to hear from citizens?

Same Sex Marriage, Bill C-38, Liberal MP Pat O'Brien, Paul Martin and Special Legislative Committees


Opposed to the people being heard?

OTTAWA – In reaction to Liberal MP Pat O'Brien’s statement today that the Prime Minister has agreed that the legislative committee studying Bill C-38 should have an expanded mandate, Conservative Vic Toews is challenging Prime Minister Martin to follow through with his commitments to hear Canadians’ views on this matter. O’Brien, who had appeared to be on the verge of leaving the Liberal caucus, announced today that he would remain a Liberal MP, his decision partly based on these commitments from the Prime Minister.

“What specific assurances can the Prime Minister give when there is no authority for the committee to hear anything but technical evidence, and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister, Paul Macklin, has indicated that there will be no travel across Canada?” asked Toews. “It appears to me that Paul Martin is just fooling with O’Brien in a desperate attempt to keep him in the Liberal caucus.”

According to the Standing Orders of the House of Commons, special legislative committees can hear witnesses only on “technical matters,” and as such, the committee itself has no jurisdiction to change its mandate. Toews pointed out that the Liberal decision to refer bill C-38 to such a committee is part of a broader Liberal pattern to ignore Canadians’ views on this legislation, referring to the previous committee that studied same-sex marriage in 2003 which was shut down before it had a chance to report.

“To date, no member of the committee, other than Conservatives, has indicated support for Canadians having their say on this issue. The Liberals, the Bloc Quebecois, and the NDP are all opposed to people being heard on a fundamental matter of social policy,” said Toews. The Tory Justice Critic has vowed to keep alive the debate on C-38 until the Liberal government agrees not to limit the powers of the committee studying this bill.

“Paul Martin must spell out what specific initiatives he and the justice minister are taking to allow this committee to hear from Canadians in every part of the country,” said Toews. “Until he does so, he is holding out false hope to Mr. O'Brien and to the Canadian people who want to be heard on this matter.”

For more information, please contact: Vic Toews, MP for Provencher
Ottawa: (613) 992-3128
Steinbach: (204) 326-9889

Email addresses & snail mail addresses -- 38th Parliament Members of the House of Commons, Alphabetical Listing by province

An acquaintance provided the press release from Vic Toews, MP, Provencher, Official Opposition Justice Critic, 14 April, 2005.