Prime Minister Paul Martin has officially started the debate on same-sex unions at the Federal level.
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Paul Martin kicked off the parliamentary debate on his government's controversial same-sex marriage legislation Wednesday, saying the debate would be "about the kind of nation we are today and the nation we want to be."
As many of you already know, same-sex marriage has already been agreed to in most provinces and backed up by each Provincial Supreme Court.
The Prime Minister has already approached the Supreme Court of Canada, and it has agreed the law would be constitutional. What he is doing now is submitting the proposed law to Parliament to vote on.
Of course the Conservative Party (in turn pushed by many U.S. Right Christian Groups like the Knights of Columbus)opposes the law as written.
But Conservative Leader Stephen Harper immediately countered by introducing an amendment to Bill C-38 to protect the traditional definition of marriage, calling compromise "the real Canadian way."
Harper calls bill 'fundamentally flawed'
Speaking next, Harper called the legislation "fundamentally flawed," and called its religious protections "laughably inadequate" and "constitutionally useless."
The full CBC report can be found below:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/02/16/same-sex-debate050216.html?ref=rss
There are members of the Liberal Party who also oppose the law, but PM Martin has ordered all members of his cabinet to vote yes. As has the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Quebecois.
A fundamental right, Duceppe says
"Quite beyond our partisan attachments, or even our political and religious convictions, we have to think about what we would answer, what we would say to a human being who wants to marry his or her same-sex partner and asks us, 'why are you refusing me marriage?'
"Does that mean love between same-sex partners is not as valid as love between a man and a woman?" Duceppe asked. "Or that love between same-sex partners does not exist, or should not exist?"
The New Democratic Pary Leader has yet to speak to the issue in Parliament but he does support the law as proposed.
More to come.
