yay Canada!!!!
Posted: December 9th, 2004, 10:53 pm
the Canadian Supreme Court voted unanimously today to pass legislation legalizing same-sex marriage.
as a kid, i grew up feeling that Canada was sorta hokey, because we weren't the United States. but the longer i live here, the more i love this country. Canada RULES (in favour, that is)!!!
***
Ottawa to table same-sex bill in new year: PM
CTV.ca News Staff
Prime Minister Paul Martin says today's Supreme Court ruling means his government will proceed with legislation extending marriage to same-sex couples.
Speaking just hours after the court's advisory ruling paved the way for the change, Martin said the new bill will be tabled as soon as Parliament returns after the holiday break in late January.
"We are proceeding because quite simply, we believe in the Charter of Rights and the guarantee it provides to equality," Martin said in a statement read to reporters in Ottawa.
"I do not believe you can have two classes of citizens."
The Supreme Court, in a non-binding unanimous decision, decided that Parliament could proceed with the changes extending marriage to gays and lesbians, and that religious institutions would not be forced to perform same-sex marriages contrary to their beliefs.
However, the court did not make a ruling on one of four questions outlined specifically by Martin's government on whether the traditional definition of marriage was unconstitutional.
Now the bill will go to a "two-line whip" vote in the House of Commons. That means cabinet ministers will have to vote for the bill. However, backbench MPs will be free to vote as they choose.
"Individual members of Parliament should be and will be free to vote as they see fit. However, the position of the government is definitive. For that reason, cabinet members will be required to vote in favour of the legislation," Martin said.
In order to comply with the court's decision, Martin said lawmakers who vote against the legislation wouldn't be left with many options.
"One of those alternatives is the use of the notwithstanding clause," he said. "I don't think that is the way Canadians want to go. I don't think they want to see government taking away their rights."
The issue of same-sex marriage has divided all four parties in Parliament.
CTV's Craig Oliver told CTV.ca that if and when the legislation is put to a vote in the House of Commons he believes it will pass, although by a narrow margin.
Oliver said that while bill will be overwhelmingly supported by the Bloc and the NDP, the Supreme Court ruling may also win support from Liberal and Conservative MPs who were previously undecided.
"If there were people who were sitting on the fence, the tone of the court decision may sway them to support the legislation," said Oliver.
"While they didn't say you should legislate same-sex marriage, they clearly said that it should be legal."
Taking a closer look at support for the legislation, it appears the 54 Bloc and 19 NDP MPs would vote for it.
There are 134 Liberal MPs. If 39 Liberal cabinet ministers vote for the legislation, that means as many as 87 Liberal MPs could vote in favour of the legislation while 47 could vote against it and it would still pass.
Of the 99 Conservative MPs only one, Belinda Stronach, has said she will vote in favour of the same-sex legislation. That leaves 98 MPs who could vote against the bill.
It's not certain how the two independents, former Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish and Chuck Cadman will vote.
With a total of 308 seats in the House, the bill would need 155 votes to pass.
Same-sex marriage is currently legal in six provinces and one territory, where courts have ruled that the traditional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman is unconstitutional.
If the legislation eventually passes in Parliament, Canada would be among the first countries to officially recognize gay and lesbian marriages.
Only Belgium and the Netherlands have allowed gays to wed. New Zealand's parliament voted Thursday to allow civil unions.
Voters in 11 U.S. states recently vetoed the idea, making Massachusetts the only American jurisdiction to permit it.
as a kid, i grew up feeling that Canada was sorta hokey, because we weren't the United States. but the longer i live here, the more i love this country. Canada RULES (in favour, that is)!!!
***
Ottawa to table same-sex bill in new year: PM
CTV.ca News Staff
Prime Minister Paul Martin says today's Supreme Court ruling means his government will proceed with legislation extending marriage to same-sex couples.
Speaking just hours after the court's advisory ruling paved the way for the change, Martin said the new bill will be tabled as soon as Parliament returns after the holiday break in late January.
"We are proceeding because quite simply, we believe in the Charter of Rights and the guarantee it provides to equality," Martin said in a statement read to reporters in Ottawa.
"I do not believe you can have two classes of citizens."
The Supreme Court, in a non-binding unanimous decision, decided that Parliament could proceed with the changes extending marriage to gays and lesbians, and that religious institutions would not be forced to perform same-sex marriages contrary to their beliefs.
However, the court did not make a ruling on one of four questions outlined specifically by Martin's government on whether the traditional definition of marriage was unconstitutional.
Now the bill will go to a "two-line whip" vote in the House of Commons. That means cabinet ministers will have to vote for the bill. However, backbench MPs will be free to vote as they choose.
"Individual members of Parliament should be and will be free to vote as they see fit. However, the position of the government is definitive. For that reason, cabinet members will be required to vote in favour of the legislation," Martin said.
In order to comply with the court's decision, Martin said lawmakers who vote against the legislation wouldn't be left with many options.
"One of those alternatives is the use of the notwithstanding clause," he said. "I don't think that is the way Canadians want to go. I don't think they want to see government taking away their rights."
The issue of same-sex marriage has divided all four parties in Parliament.
CTV's Craig Oliver told CTV.ca that if and when the legislation is put to a vote in the House of Commons he believes it will pass, although by a narrow margin.
Oliver said that while bill will be overwhelmingly supported by the Bloc and the NDP, the Supreme Court ruling may also win support from Liberal and Conservative MPs who were previously undecided.
"If there were people who were sitting on the fence, the tone of the court decision may sway them to support the legislation," said Oliver.
"While they didn't say you should legislate same-sex marriage, they clearly said that it should be legal."
Taking a closer look at support for the legislation, it appears the 54 Bloc and 19 NDP MPs would vote for it.
There are 134 Liberal MPs. If 39 Liberal cabinet ministers vote for the legislation, that means as many as 87 Liberal MPs could vote in favour of the legislation while 47 could vote against it and it would still pass.
Of the 99 Conservative MPs only one, Belinda Stronach, has said she will vote in favour of the same-sex legislation. That leaves 98 MPs who could vote against the bill.
It's not certain how the two independents, former Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish and Chuck Cadman will vote.
With a total of 308 seats in the House, the bill would need 155 votes to pass.
Same-sex marriage is currently legal in six provinces and one territory, where courts have ruled that the traditional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman is unconstitutional.
If the legislation eventually passes in Parliament, Canada would be among the first countries to officially recognize gay and lesbian marriages.
Only Belgium and the Netherlands have allowed gays to wed. New Zealand's parliament voted Thursday to allow civil unions.
Voters in 11 U.S. states recently vetoed the idea, making Massachusetts the only American jurisdiction to permit it.