Mr. Speaker, just a note, just so we are clear, the bill was discussed in Committee of the Whole clause by clause and did receive unanimous consent in this Assembly from all Members.
As per our normal process, the bill did go to committee, who had an opportunity to do a thorough review of the bill. We did get a letter from committee expressing some questions around this particular issue. The issue is the ability of a minor to marry. The legislation requires that, if a minor does desire to get married, they must still obtain a marriage licence. To obtain a marriage licence, they must get consent from their legal guardians. If their legal guardians are not present or do not exist, they do have the ability to get an order from the Supreme Court that allows them to move forward with the acquisition of a marriage licence, regardless. Issuers are required to communicate with potential applicants to ensure that they understand the nature of the marriage licence, the nature of entering into a marriage contract, and getting married.
We feel confident that there are checks and balances to ensure that individuals will not be coerced into marriage, are not forced into a marriage, that they are entering of their own free will, and understand the nature of the arrangements they are entering into. So, no, Mr. Speaker, we do not see any concerns at this time.
If the Member is aware of any situations, I would be happy to review those situations, but, at this time, given that we have gone through this process and we have unanimous consent, we are not intending to change the legislation again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.