Canada passes bill legalizing same-sex marriage

After a lot of sparring in the House Of Commons, and two near meltdowns during the Budget votes… Canada has finally made the step needed to legalize same sex marriage. Despite protest from the religious and those who are just flat out ignorant, the fact is a majority of Canadians do support equal rights for all, that includes marriage for all.

I persoanlly think this is the right decision and I for one am proud that the House was finally able to pass it through so it can be made into law. Let’s hope our neighbors to the south take the hint and follow suit…

Peter

MPs pass bill legalizing same-sex marriage

Canada has become the third country in the world to officially sanction same-sex marriage.

In a 158 to 133 vote, the House of Commons gave final approval of Bill C-38 on its third and final reading, with support from almost all New Democrat and Bloc Quebecois MPs.

An earlier Conservative motion to send the bill back to committee was voted down 158 to 127.

The decision marks the end of a long and divisive debate, although opponents are vowing to keep up the fight against the measure, which changes the traditional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman to one that includes same-sex couples.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is promising that he won’t let the issue rest; he says he’ll revisit the new law if he becomes the next prime minister.

He also repeated Tuesday his claim that the law lacks legitimacy because it passed with the support of the separatist Bloc party.

“I don’t think Canadians are going to accept as a final word a decision taken by only a minority of federalist MPs,” he said.

But Harper didn’t specify how he would address the issue if the Tories were to form the next government.

Liberal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said Harper is “going to have to at least be honest with people,” and acknowledge that he would have to invoke the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause to override the new measure.

“They’re going to have to acknowledge that they want to override the (Charter of Rights), override constitutional-law decisions in nine jurisdictions in this country; override a unanimous decision of the Supreme Court of Canada; override the rule of law in this country,” Cotler said.

The clause, which has never been used, is available to provinces to override federal laws that intrude on provincial jurisdiction.

But almost every provincial and territorial government has already legalized same-sex marriage. And the new law will ensure that the four “hold-out” jurisdictions that yet haven’t — Alberta, Prince Edward Island, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories — now must.

“It’s an historic moment, it’s about equality for gays and lesbian,” said NDP MP Libby Davies.

Alberta premier Ralph Klein, who is “strongly opposed” to the bill on moral grounds, acknowledged Tuesday that little can be done to stop same-sex marriages in his province.

“Since this is federal legislation, to use the notwithstanding clause as contained in our own Marriage Act would be frivolous,” Klein told reporters in Calgary. “It wouldn’t stand up in any court of law. So there are some other options that we would have to consider.”

Klein said although some members of his caucus are threatening to use every legal weapon at their disposal to get around the legislation, “there are no legal weapons; there’s nothing left in the arsenal.”

As expected, about Liberal MPs voted against the measure tonight. Martin declared it a free vote for backbench MPs, but cabinet ministers were under orders to vote in favour of the bill.

On Tuesday, a junior cabinet minister chose to resign and return to the backbenches rather than vote in favour of same sex marriage.

Joe Comuzzi, the minister of state for economic development in northern Ontario, informed the prime minister of his decision in the early morning.

“I promised faithfully to the people of Thunder Bay-Superior North that I would defend the traditional definition of marriage,” he explained to reporters on Parliament Hill.

“Tonight, on the final vote of third reading, I intend to fulfill that obligation to the people that elected me.”

Reprinted from CTV.ca