in and outside of the House of Commons, Steckle reiterated his opposition to same-sex marriage indicating his support for the then current definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. On 4 June 2003, he called "upon Parliament to use all possible legislative and administrative measures, including invoking section 33 of the charter, the notwithstanding clause, if necessary, to preserve and protect the current definition of marriage as between one man and one woman." In 2005, Steckle voted against Bill C-38, An Act respecting certain aspects of legal capacity for marriage for civil purposes (now the Civil Marriage Act). Although Steckle remains an opponent of same-sex marriage, he has acknowledged that the legislation is unlikely to be changed stating that "[w]e’ve had that fight" and that "[t]he law is the law, and I have to accept that. I’m a legislator and I have to accept the majority rule." On 7 December 2006, Steckle voted in favour of a "Conservative motion to reopen the debate on the definition of marriage. The motion called on the government ‘to introduce legislation to restore the traditional definition of marriage without affecting civil unions and while respecting existing same-sex marriages.’" In the first and second session of the 39th Canadian Parliament, Steckle introduced a Private Members Bill entitled Bill C-338, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (procuring a miscarriage after twenty weeks of gestation). Steckle was a strong supporter of Steven Truscott and believed him to have been wrongly convicted. As a Member of Parliament he lobbied successive Ministers of Justice to reopen the case and Justice Minister Irwin Cotler eventually referred the matter to the Ontario Court of Appeal where Truscott was acquitted and the Court ruled that his conviction was a miscarriage of justice. Character During his time as a Member of Parliament, Steckle was known for putting his constituents first and not simply voting along party lines. As a result, in the local media, this eventually earned him the title of being a maverick. "Priority: the People" was his self-proclaimed motto throughout his time as a federal Member of Parliament. Over the years of his tenure, there was a recurring and false rumour that he might cross the floor to sit with the conservative party caucus. Steckle directly addressed the issue during the controversial same-sex marriage debate when he affirmed "he would ‘absolutely not’ consider crossing the floor." Steckle’s