Paul Steckle
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Paul Daniel Steckle (born May 10, 1942 in Zurich, Ontario) is a Canadian Member of Parliament for Huron—Bruce and a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
He served as a township councillor in Stanley Township, Ontario from 1970 to 1980, and was elected reeve in 1980 where he served as until 1985.
He is considered one of the more conservative members of the Liberal caucus. In 2004 he gained attention for sending out a Christmas card of his family posing with rifles; Steckle has always been consistently opposed to gun control and the federal gun registry. In 2005, Steckle argued that the notwithstanding clause could be used to prevent Same-sex marriage from becoming a right under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms [1]. He later voted against Bill C-38, the government's same-sex marriage legislation.
Although Steckle remains an opponent of same-sex marriage, he has acknowledged that the legislation is unlikely to be changed. "We’ve had that fight," he has been quoted as saying. "The law is the law, and I have to accept that. I’m a legislator and I have to accept the majority rule." Steckle has also said that he will "absolutely not" cross to the Conservative Party over this issue, arguing that it transcends party lines.[2]
