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Canada Parliament set to approve same sex marriage

Posted on: Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 17:29 CDT

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's Parliament was set to approvelegislation on Tuesday that will allow same sex marriagesacross the country, despite fierce opposition from conservativelegislators and religious groups.

A majority of parliamentarians support the bill, whichwould make Canada only the third country after Belgium and theNetherlands to allow gay marriages.

Officials said Parliament's House of Commons would vote onthe bill at around 8 p.m. EDT (midnight GMT) on Tuesday.

Canada's more relaxed stance on gay marriage and othersocial issues stands in contrast to that of the United States,where President Bush wants Congress to back a constitutionalamendment banning same sex marriages.

"What it says is that ... we understand pretty well thatthe biggest challenge that all of us have is to try to findways of getting along, of understanding the other person,"Social Development Minister Ken Dryden told reporters onTuesday.

The minority Liberal government said it had to producelegislation permitting gay marriage after courts in eight ofthe country's 10 provinces ruled that a ban same-sex marriageswas unconstitutional because it violates Canada's Charter ofRights and Freedoms.

Thousands of gay and lesbian couples have already been wedin the provinces that permit same sex marriages. Some have comeup from the United States, although their unions are notrecognized back home.

Church groups and the main opposition Conservative Partysay the law is an attack on organized religion, and some havesuggested that allowing gay marriage could lead to thelegalization of polygamy.

"(This) is effectively exposing people of faith topersecution and prosecution ... I want to make it very cleartoday that this is the beginning of the formal fight againstthe definition of marriage," said Charles McVety, president ofthe Canada Family Action Coalition.

McVety and other opponents say they fear churches andreligious officials could be sued for refusing to carry outsame sex marriages.

In fact, the legislation grants gays and lesbians the rightto full civil marriages while making clear that religiousofficials would not be forced to marry same-sex couples.

This did not do enough to allay the fears of some Liberallegislators, around 35 of whom will vote against the bill.

Prime Minister Paul Martin has ordered his cabinet to votefor the legislation. After the House of Commons has voted, thelegislation still needs to be approved by the Liberal-dominatedSenate, something seen as a formality.

Some Liberal lawmakers say they fear they will be punishedby voters at the next federal election, expected early nextyear. Conservative leader Stephen Harper says opposing gaymarriage will form a major part of his election platform.

But Harper's stance could also be risky, since the Liberalswon elections in 2000 and 2004 in part because they were ableto portray their right-wing rivals as extremists who would hackaway at civil rights if elected.

The gay marriage legislation is the last item onParliament's agenda before it breaks for the summer.Legislators are due to resume work on Sept. 19.

Source: REUTERS

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