Canada's Gay Marriage Debate Coming to a Head

[demdave]

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The political storm over gay marriage in Canada headed for a flash point on Monday, with opponents and proponents making last-minute pitches ahead of a key vote in Parliament scheduled for Tuesday.
The gay marriage debate dominated headlines and political discussion over the summer after the federal government decided not to appeal a provincial court decision that declared the heterosexual-only definition of marriage unconstitutional.


The opposition Canadian Alliance, which is against gay marriage, will try embarrass the ruling Liberals on Tuesday by introducing an identical motion to one supported by cabinet in 1999. That motion directed Parliament to preserve a definition of marriage as "the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=721&e=4&u=/nm/20030915/wl_nm/canada_gay_dc

[RobertSeattle]

1. Coming to a Head...

...Yuk yuk yuk yuk

[CO Liberal]

2. Some Headline Writer is Proud Of Himself

:-)

[Minstrel Boy]

3. next headline will be

"Gay marriage Enters Law through Back Door"

[Maple]

4. This is just a motion

by the Opposition party in an effort to embarrass the govt.

It is not the free vote the govt announced for later this year, or possibly early next year.

We have to hear from the Supreme Court as yet, and they are expected to uphold the 'equality' guaranteed under the constitution...whatever Parliament says on either vote.

[TrogL]

5. This is code

A little further down the article it mentions "take all necessary steps". This is code for invoking the notwithstanding clause of the Charter, which is what Alberta is threatening to do anyway.

This may be completely irrelevant. The intent is for the same sex marriage legislation to be uninvokable. That's why it's being sent to the Supremes first.