Canada Lawmakers OK
Gay Marriage Bill
By AP from the
NYTimes on the Web, June 29, 2005
TORONTO -- Canada would become
only the third country in the world to legalize gay marriage under landmark
legislation passed in the House of Commons in spite of fierce opposition from
Conservatives and religious leaders.
The bill would grant same-sex couples legal rights equal to those in traditional
unions between a man and a woman, something already legal in a majority of
Canadian provinces. The legislation drafted by Prime Minister Paul Martin's
minority Liberal Party government was also expected to easily pass the Senate
and become federal law by the end of July.
The Netherlands and Belgium are the only other two nations that allow gay
marriage nationwide.
Some of Martin's Liberal lawmakers voted against the bill, and a Cabinet
minister resigned over the legislation. But enough allies rallied to
support the bill that has been debated for months, voting 158 to 133 to approve
it on Tuesday evening.
Martin praised Tuesday's vote as a necessary step for human rights.
''We are a nation of minorities,'' Martin said. ''And in a nation of
minorities, it is important that you don't cherry-pick rights.''
There are an estimated 34,000 gay and lesbian couples in Canada, according to
government statistics.
Alex Munter, national spokesman for Canadians for Equal Marriage, which has led
the debate in favor of the law, was triumphant after the vote: ''The
genius of Canada, almost unparalleled in the world, is built on shared identity,
out of respect for each other.''
Martin, a Roman Catholic, has said that despite anyone's personal beliefs, all
Canadians should be granted the same rights to marriage.
Churches have expressed concern that their clergy would be compelled by law to
perform same-sex ceremonies, with couples taking them to court or human rights
tribunals if refused. The legislation, however, states that the bill only
covers civil unions, not religious ones, and no clergy would be forced to
perform same-sex ceremonies unless they choose to do so.
The Roman Catholic Church, the predominant Christian denomination in Canada, has
vigorously opposed the legislation, saying that it would harm children in
particular.
Charles McVety, a spokesman for Defend Marriage Canada and president of Canada
Christian College, called the vote an ''onerous breach of trust and the
deconstruction of so much that is dear to our hearts.''
Flanked by clergymen, McVety vowed his group would work to vote out lawmakers
who supported the legislation in the next general elections.
''This is the beginning of the formal fight against the redefinition of
marriage,'' McVety said. ''We will, in the next election, be able to
correct this incredible democratic deficit before us today.''
The debate in Canada began in December, when the Supreme Court ruled that
passage of same-sex legislation would not violate the constitution.
According to most polls, a majority of Canadians support the right for gays and
lesbians to marry. In the United States, gay marriage is opposed by a
majority of Americans, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll taken in
November, shortly after constitutional amendments in 11 states to ban same-sex
marriage were approved.
Massachusetts is the only state that allows gay marriages; Vermont and
Connecticut have approved same-sex civil unions.
Roberta Sklar, spokeswoman for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in
Washington, D.C., said same-sex American couples applaud Canadians.
''We know that it has been somewhat contentious in Canada, but at the same time
the Canadians have largely approached this issue in a rational and democratic
way and are providing a very positive model for the rest of the world,'' Sklar
said.
Though hundreds of foreigners have come to Canada to seek civil ceremonies since
gay marriages were first allowed in Ontario and British Columbia in 2003, not
all countries or states recognize the unions.
In the United States, the federal government does not recognize same-sex
marriage and most states refuse to acknowledge marriage certificates from gay
and lesbian couples, regardless of where they wed.
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