yay Canada!!!!

[Glorious Amok]

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.

[knip]

3 things with the new legislation:

- all marriages conducted thus far remain legal
- law applies to all provinces/territories
- no church will be forced to conduct same-sex marriages

i am particularly impressed with the way the government handled this...they drfated legislation, then sent it to the supreme court for opinion on legality...this allows them to proceed quickly now...probably january for the house vote

[Glorious Amok]

it's so beautiful because i don't think this ruling oppresses anyone, it supports the rights of persons of every gender, every biological sex, every sexuality, and every religion to marry as they wish.

i think it's great that ministers have the right to choose too.

[Dave The Dov]

I hope it does pass up there. Then my country will have to come to terms with it.
_________________
Honda CBR125RR

[stilltrucking]

Yeah I saw it too, makes me proud to be your neighbor.

If only a little civilization would blow down our way.


not related but I try to put myself in your shoes up there, and wonder how you see us.
This is how I see our other neighbor
"Poor Mexico, so close to the United States and so far from god."

[knip]

for stilltrucking

canadians generally see the US as those morons down south...personally, i think that's a tad harsh, but that's the way it is...i think most canadians don't understand how close we are to americans...we're really the same people, but have been shaped over the years by politics...america tends to be more rightist than canada, and it shows in personal opinions

myself, i am cognisant of the relationship...america are our best friends...you would be hard pressed to find two neighbouring countries that are as friendly as ours...

[abcrystcats]

I'm giving myself two more years here. I want to wait and see how it goes for a little while with this administration. I also need to get back in the job market and stay there for a while. But after that, there is an 80/90% possibility that I am moving to Canada.

I just can't take it anymore. The war in Iraq, the loss of civil liberties, the repressive Fundamentalists dominating politics and law. It's just too much. I'm done trying to find reasons to justify this country's actions.

What if Bush gets the Supreme Court to reverse Roe v. Wade? What if he gets his amendment to the Constitution saying that marriage is between a man and a woman? That the American public voted this man into office and continues to approve of his presence there just makes me nauseous. It can only get worse.

[Dave The Dov]

No way ac!!!! Stay and fight it out after all this is YOUR COUNTRY AS WELL!!!!
_________________
Mercedes G Class

[abcrystcats]

It's gotten too serious, Dave. When civil liberties go, there is no way to fight. Are any of us "fighting?" No, we are just verbalizing about it. We may not be able to do this in safety much longer, either. Like I said, I'll give it a couple years.

If you had a chance to leave Hitler's Germany prior to WW II, you'd probably have done it. If things get any worse, I am not going to want to be an American any more. I am already ashamed of my country. Sorry.

This is MY country, but I can choose another one. Many people are doing it.

[Dave The Dov]

Stand and fight!!!! It's not all that bad!!!! No way could it look like Germany when the Nazis took over!!!!
_________________
Acne Forum

[Lightning Rod]

I thought Mark Morford's column on this was amusing (as always)


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 121504.DTL

[Lightning Rod]

hey, and what is it with the Canadian Supreme Court?

Sure, the US Supreme Court look like a bunch of undertakers or executioners

but the Canuck SC looks like a Santa Clause convention.

[abcrystcats]

Good article. I enjoyed that. Dumb Canadians ... why do they always have to make us look bad?

The fact that Canada IS a low-profile country is another good reason to consider moving there.

Besides, I need a good excuse to finish learning French.

[Lightning Rod]

damn, cat

If I move to Canada I'm gonna have to learn to speak French? Who knew?

I love Morford's stuff. My ambition as a columnist is to be somewhere between Mark Morford and Molly Ivins.

[abcrystcats]

No, you don't need to learn it. But it helps.