...and now this thing comes up and the government puts this as high priority. We know what's happening in Ottawa. Why couldn't they wait until that issue was dealt with? Specifically to this clause, Mr. Chairman, they're mixing apples and oranges here.
---Laughter
You know? Not oranges to oranges, but apples to oranges. On one hand what they're doing, it's not a laughing matter. What they're doing is for the unmarried common-law couples for the benefits, as the Minister indicated, in some of our laws that we have in place the benefits for common-law couples they don't receive now because of the way our law is. I agree with the Minister that those types of amendments have to come forward so that the unmarried common-law couples can receive those types of things and make all those necessary changes as these ones. But on the other hand, for same-sex couples they're giving them the same thing. By doing that, you're basically agreeing with same-sex marriage. It ties together.
---Applause
So why didn't the government, to play it on the safe side, particularly for the majority of the people in the Territories, separate those two issues and bring in a bill pertaining to unmarried common-law spouses so they fit into this bill. Maybe at a later date, after what happens in Ottawa, bring in another amendment for the same-sex marriage to make the same amendments. Why couldn't they do that rather than lumping it all together? That's my question to the Minister on spouses.