June 25, 2005
New Brunswick Extends Marriage Rights
By Karl-Thomas Musselman
The Canadian Province of New Brunswick has ruled that marriage rights must be extended to it's gay citizens, after Judge Judy Clendenning found that the province's current definition of marriage violated their rights.
The ruling leaves P.E.I., Alberta, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories as the last jurisdictions in the country that do not recognize same-sex marriage.
It gives New Brunswick a 10-day grace period to get the new marriage definition into place.
Premier Bernard Lord has said he personally believes in the traditional view of marriage. But he said the province wouldn't put up a fight if the courts or Parliament ordered it to make a change.
I bold that last paragraph to highlight a difference between our Northern neighbors and the US governing party. They calmly state that they don't agree, but respect the ruling of the courts. Here, we state we disagree but attack the judicial system, attempt to strip it of powers, or change our constitutions to override them.
What a land we live in, eh?
Posted by Karl-Thomas Musselman at June 25, 2005 02:20 PM
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So, relying on Judge Judy, huh?
And there's better news expected Tuesday evening. Same sex unions will soon be the law all over Canada.
From Reuters...
Canada Parliament set to approve same sex marriage
Tue Jun 28, 2005 6:07 PM BST
By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's Parliament was set to approve legislation on Tuesday that will allow same sex marriages across the country, despite fierce opposition from conservative legislators and religious groups.
A majority of parliamentarians support the bill, which would make Canada only the third country after Belgium and the Netherlands to allow gay marriages.
Officials said Parliament's House of Commons would vote on the bill at around 7 p.m. CDT (midnight GMT) on Tuesday.
Canada's more relaxed stance on gay marriage and other social issues stands in contrast to that of the United States, where President George W. Bush wants Congress to back a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriages.
"What it says is that ... we understand pretty well that the biggest challenge that all of us have is to try to find ways of getting along, of understanding the other person," Social Development Minister Ken Dryden told reporters on Tuesday.
The minority Liberal government said it had to produce legislation permitting gay marriage after courts in eight of the country's 10 provinces ruled that a ban same-sex marriages was unconstitutional because it violates Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
