Canadian Military Approves Gay Marriages On Bases
by Ben Thompson 365Gay.com from the Web, January 19, 2005
Ottawa -- The Canadian Forces has approved a policy that calls on military chaplains to formally bless same-sex marriages.
The document, obtained by Sun Media, follows draft legislation to be introduced next month in Parliament in not requiring chaplains to perform weddings.
However, those chaplains whose religions do not permit same-sex marriage have the responsibility to find another member of the clergy to conduct the service under the guidelines.
"It's essentially a statement of the way the law is going. We don't put any expectations on people.
We expect them to function as we always do, according to the tenets of their church, their own conscience and the laws of the province," Col. Stan Johnstone told the Sun.
The document also outlines the process for pre-nuptial counselling and using the on-base chapel for same-sex ceremonies.
Johnstone, a military chaplain who helped draft the policy, said the guidelines reflect the primary role of ministering to all forces members and their families.
He told the Sun that chaplains vary on personal convictions and points of theology, but don't discriminate against anyone in need of counsel.
There are about 150 military chaplains who work on bases across the country and overseas.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Toronto, has called on Prime Minister Paul Martin to drop the gay marriage bill.
Ambrozic made public Wednesday a letter to Martin urging him to maintain traditional marriage.
He said that Parliament should use the notwithstanding clause to override the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The clause allows the federal government or the provinces to opt out of a section of the Constitution with which they disagree.
It has been used on several occasions by provinces but never by the federal government.
Ambrozic's letter warns the Prime Minister that, if Parliament were to proceed now to pass legislation permitting same-sex marriage, Canada would be tipped into an uncharted sea fraught with risks to some of the country's most significant social institutions, such as public education.
"Can we say with certainty what the social outcome of a redefinition of marriage would be?" Cardinal Ambrozic asked.
"In all humility, none of us can do so."
Liberal Catholics were quick to denounce the Cardinal's letter.
“The same law that protects the religious freedoms of Catholics to practice our faith –- the Charter of Rights
-– also protects lesbian and gay people,” says Helen Kennedy, a former Toronto-area city councillor and spokesperson for Challenge The Church.
“The Charter of Rights is what guarantees minority rights. You can’t switch it on and off.”
The cardinal's letter was released as the opposition Conservatives announced they were launching an ad campaign against gay marriage that will target Canadian ethnic groups.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said his party needs to send a clear message against changing the definition of marriage.
Harper wants to preserve marriage as the union of a man and a woman. He also wants to allow civil unions for homosexual couples to give them the same rights as married people.
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