Canada to allow same-sex marriage
( 2003-06-18 11:00) (Agencies)
Canada will change its law to allow homosexual marriage, joining Belgium and
The Netherlands as the only countries where same-sex couples can legally wed,
Prime Minister Jean Chretien announced Tuesday.
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Prime Minister Jean Chretien speaks to the media during a news
conference Tuesday, June 17, 2003. Canada will change its law to allow
homosexual marriage, joining Belgium and The Netherlands as the only
countries where same-sex couples can legally wed, Chretien announced
Tuesday. [AP] | Chretien said the new law would be drafted within weeks and submitted to
the Supreme Court of Canada for review, then put to a Parliament vote. His
Liberal Party has a commanding majority in the legislature, though the issue has
caused division in the Liberal caucus.
The announcement means the government decided against appealing recent
court rulings that declared the nation's definition of marriage as
unconstitutional because it specified the union of a man and woman.
An Ontario appeals court last week declared that wording invalid,
changing it to a union between two people.
"There is an evolution of society," Chretien said in making the
announcement after a Cabinet meeting. He said the law would allow religions the
right to decide what marriages should be sanctified.
An Anglican diocese in Vancouver has approved a blessing for same-sex
unions, which it says is separate from marriage. The blessing ceremony,
performed once so far, caused a split in the diocese with some churches
dissociating themselves.
Opinion polls indicate a slight majority of Canadians favor legalizing
same-sex marriages. After the Ontario appeals court ruling and similar previous
ones by courts in British Columbia and Quebec, the government was under pressure
to change the law or file appeals that would have left the issue unsettled.
Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said Tuesday it was time for change.
"We have decided not to appeal those rulings ... and proceeded with draft
legislation that will be ready shortly ," he said. The new law would redefine
marriage as called for by the courts while protecting religious freedoms,
according to Cauchon.
"We're talking about essential
freedoms here," he said.
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Michael Stark, right, and Michael Lechner
fill out their applications for a marriage licence in Toronto, Canada
Tuesday June 10, 2003. Alison Kemper, far left, and Joyce Barnett look on
from left. The Clerk of the city of Toronto will begin issuing marriage
licences to all those who meet the requirements including same-sex
couples. [AP] |
Svend Robinson, a Parliament member for the leftist New Democratic Party
who has pushed for same-sex marriages in Canada, praised Chretien's government
for showing leadership. He rejected opposition by conservative political groups,
who argue that changing the definition of marriage uproots a fundamental tenet
of Canadian society.
Dozens of homosexual couples have obtained marriage licenses in the week
since the court ruling, with at least one wedding taking place.
In the United States, homosexual marriage lacks full legal recognition in
all 50 states. Vermont recognizes civil unions that give homosexual couples the
full benefits and responsibilities of marriage but are separate from legal
marriage.
"Americans now have the chance to see a society can treat gay people with
respect," said Evan Wolfson, executive director of the New York-based Freedom to
Marry organization promoting homosexual marriage. "Families are helped, and no
one is hurt."
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