SikhSpectrum.com Quarterly Issue No.21, August 2005
Canada Approves Same-sex Marriage
Danny Chan
Canada’s Liberal government passed an historical bill recognizing same-sex marriage. The legislation passed a House of Commons vote on June 28 despite heated opposition, making Canada only the third country in the world to recognize gay marriage.
The bill confers onto same-sex couples the same rights that heterosexual couples enjoy, although gay marriage is already recognized in nine of the country’s 13 provinces and territories. It is expected to be ratified by the Senate. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin described the legislation as a step forward for human rights.
“We are a nation of minorities,” Mr Martin , a devout Roman Catholic, said. “And in a nation of minorities, it is important that you don’t cherry-pick rights. A right is a right, and that is what this vote tonight is all about.”
Added Justice Minister Irwin Cotler following the vote, “I feel very good. What we saw this evening was a parliamentary expression and an important restatement of both equality rights and religious freedoms in furtherance of rights of the Canadian people.” Other activists echoed his sentiment.
“Lesbians and gay people are your brothers and sisters, neighbors, friends and co-workers,” Alex Munter, the national spokesman for Canadians for Equal Marriage, said. “At the end of the day, no argument in favor of exclusion can withstand what people see with their own eyes—that it is wrong to treat people they care about in a way that diminishes their personal choice.”
The bill divided the minority Liberal party; 158 members of Parliament voted for the bill and 133 against. Joe Comuzzi, a junior cabinet minister for development in northern Ontario, resigned rather than vote on the legislation. Mr Comuzzi remained within the Liberal party but sided with the opposition for the vote, as did 30 Liberal MPs. Another Liberal MP had earlier resigned from the party over the bill.
The legislation, which gained support from the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québecois, encountered further resistance from conservative MPs and religions figures. The Catholic church opposed the bill and claimed their clergy would be required to perform gay marriages, although the bill applies only to civil unions and has no bearing on religious ceremonies.
A priest in Mr Martin’s riding said he would pray the prime minister loses his seat in the next federal election for doing the devil’s bidding by supporting gay unions. Other critics further denounced the vote as well as the legislators who voted for the bill.
“This is the beginning of the formal fight against the redefinition of marriage,” Charles McVety, a spokesman for Defend Marriage Canada and the president of Canada Christian College, said. “We will, in the next election, be able to correct this incredible democratic deficit before us today.”
The Canadian Supreme Court ruled last December that the proposed legislation would not violate the constitution, paving the way for the bill’s passage. Prime Minister Martin then introduced the legislation, stating he was unable to support a law that created “two classes of citizens”.
Two gay soldiers were wed at Greenwood air base earlier this year after the military stated it would allow gay unions in provinces where it is legal. A second gay marriage is scheduled at CFB Valcartier for later this year.
Canada has approximately 34,000 gay and lesbian couples, according to government statistics. The Netherlands and Belgium have also recognized gay unions, although at press time Spain was also expected to legalize same-sex unions on June 30.
