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(Ottawa) Canada's Conservative government isn't
commenting but lobbyists for groups supporting and opposing reopening the issue
of same-sex marriage say Prime Minister Stephen Harper has decided to delay the
issue.
The government had been widely expected to
introduce a motion this week asking Members of Parliament if they wanted to
reconsider Canada's equal marriage law. (story)
The former Liberal government legalized same-sex
marriage last year after courts in most provinces struck down a federal law
limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples. (story) The
Conservatives, who came to power in January, vowed to overturn the measure.
The motion the government wants to put to MPs
would only be the first step toward that. It would simply ask the House if it
wanted to reexamine the law.
Gay rights groups Egale and Canadians for Equal
Marriage oppose reopening the debate but have said if the issue is to be
reconsidered they prefer it sooner rather than later. Conservative religious
groups hoping to overturn the law have been pressuring the government to delay a
vote on the motion in an effort to gain more support..
Lobbyists on both sides this week said they have
been told privately that the Conservative caucus has decided to hold off on the
motion.
Currently there is not enough support for the
motion to carry. The two smaller parties in Parliament - the Bloc
Quebecois and the New Democrats - have pledged to vote in a block against the
motion. All but about 30 of the Liberals also have said they would vote
against the measure. At least 11 Tory members have voiced their opposition
to revisiting the issue.
Supporters of reopening the marriage debate are
targeting the Conservative and Liberals who have indicated they don't want to
bring the issue up again.
"We
are calling Mr. Harper out on this delay,” said Laurie Arron, National
Coordinator of Canadians for Equal Marriage. “We know that opponents of equal
marriage have asked for a delay, because they know the motion will be defeated
and that after the vote Mr. Harper will have to admit that the issue is
settled."
Arron said that the delay is "a cloud hanging over the heads of LGBT
people."
“It’s unfair to make us wait another three months on this issue. Canadians
want to move on. It’s time for Mr. Harper to get on with the vote, rather than
seeking to please the religious right.”
But some observers say there may be another issue
at play as well: The possibility of a winter election.
Harper has a minority government and the Liberals
will choose a new leader in December. That the Hill watchers suggest could mean Harper
could call a snap election or orchestrate a non-confidence vote that he would
lose.
Either is a possibility if Harper senses he could
win a majority. A majority Tory government would most certainly have enough
clout to overturn the marriage law.
By delaying until after an election Harper also could
prevent it from becoming a campaign issue - one the Liberals would use to paint
the Conservatives as extremists. To win a majority a party must carry Ontario
and Quebec. Voters in both provinces are wary of Harper on social issues and polls
show that most Canadians do not want the marriage issue reopened. Support for
same-sex marriage is highest in Ontario and Quebec.
Harper's conservative base - Alberta, the
Catholic Church and evangelicals - all want the law overturned.
The leading candidate for the leadership of the
Alberta Conservatives, Ted Morton, on Thursday was a key speaker at a news
conference held by groups trying to overturn the marriage law.
"The evidence is absolutely overwhelming
that same-sex marriage is not a basic human right, but rather it's a social
experiment," said Morton who would become premier if he wins the
leadership.
The news conference was organized by the Edmonton
Faith Coalition for Natural Marriage. It says the government needs to look at
the effect of same-sex marriage on children.
"I am convinced that neither our courts nor our
legislators sufficiently considered the rights of the child when it comes to
same-sex marriage," said Rev. Paul Moret, speaking for the Catholic
Archdiocese of Edmonton, another of the speakers.
"It seems the wants of adults have
overweighed the rights of children. But it is essential that the government
consider the rights of children, because they're the most vulnerable in our
society."
©365Gay.com 2006
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