Here's a right-wing politician deserving of your praise.

[Wat_Tyler]

Jim Prentice, Canadian Conservative MP for Calgary North Centre, came out this week in favour of equal marriage rights for gay Canadians, in defiance of his own party's stance on the matter.

http://www.jimprentice.ca/Documents/Feb2Statement.htm

'For me, the marriage question is one of individual liberty - of constitutional liberty.

Let's be clear. I have been married to the same woman for 21 years, reflecting my own personal definition of what marriage is. It is also the definition of my own church, the Presbyterian Church of Canada.

It is not, however, the personal definition of many of our fellow citizens who are homosexual and who have sought the protection of the Charter to obtain civil marriage licences from the government.

Fundamentally the question is this: what right do we as a society have to refuse gay Canadians something that the rest of us are entitled to - namely, a civil marriage license.

Set aside the legal debate, and ask the very simple question. What moral or political authority do we have to deny gay Canadians the issuance of a government marriage license?

The answer in my mind is clear. We have no such right at all because whether two people of the same sex marry, and how and whether their gender enters into the relationship, is none of the government's business, providing they do no harm to anyone else.'

[XNASA]

1. Finally.......

Someone who's sticking up for the Mounties.

[Wat_Tyler]

3. It took a while - but someone had to do it.

[tk2kewl]

2. if makes me sad that there is simply no civil discourse in the US anymore

:(

[Wat_Tyler]

4. I know - if you read Prentice's statement -

he's actually thought about the nature of conservatism. How rare is that?

[Negatron]

5. Only in Canada could this happen.

A right-winger suffers a bout of intellectual honesty. Don't bother looking for this sort of thing here in Murika. It is not coming soon to a town near you.

[Wat_Tyler]

24. I think that, sadly, the US and Canada are diverging politically.

We are becoming more socially liberal at a very brisk pace.

[HEyHEY]

6. Same with James Moore

[Wat_Tyler]

8. Moore too? I was not aware of that.

Man, are we turning into the Netherlands or something? :D

[HEyHEY]

9. Yup moore and Stronach and your guy

Moore is my home riding so I'm proud

[Wat_Tyler]

12. I actively campaigned for Prentice's opponent.

Although, I've met Jim Prentice a few times - he's a good guy.

Stock must've exploded by now, right?

[HEyHEY]

25. AMazing - but

Not yet...he's a cool customer.

Actually he's really funny too.

Man I feel so dirty for saying that.

[Wat_Tyler]

26. Apparently Goering had a great sense of humour, if that helps.

[whistle]

7. Right position, wrong country....

[HEyHEY]

10. Maybe from where you're sitting!

I want him here!

[Wat_Tyler]

11. Maybe not.

If we legalize gay marriage, and our society does not explode into a morass of incest, bigamy and pig-molesting, we provide a near-at-hand example that the Repubs will find difficult to challenge.
Well, that or they'll just invade.

[whistle]

15. Incest, bigamy and pig-molesting is what is going on right now...

...in the red states of America.

[Wat_Tyler]

17. Yeah, but it's good Christian pig-molesting, isn't it?

Not like that crazy Canuckistani faggy pig-molesting.

[whistle]

20. Donno, is Canuckistani pig-fu*king different than Redneckistani

...pig-fu*king or Neo-coneckistani pig-fu*king or Fundineckistani pig-fu*king. I thought all pig-fu*king was basically the same with the motto that "if you've fu*ked one pig, you've fu*ked them all!"

[Wat_Tyler]

23. True. Only LBJ would know for sure, right?

[Swede]

13. Stephen Harper was gloating a week ago about the disarray in the Liberals

because of this. It seems to be more of his problem then the PM's.

[Wat_Tyler]

14. Harper had a townhall in his riding last week - people I know went along.

He basically ranted about gays for an hour, and wouldn't answer any questions about anything else. Crazy fool forgets the clearest lesson in Canadian politics - Canadians are not social conservatives.
Let him dangle. He has his head in the noose - he's staked his leadership on this subject.

[HEyHEY]

16. At least we won't see his wierd looking head too much longer

at this rate

[Swede]

18. He's got the "Trent Lott" republican hair cut.

nt

[whistle]

22. the republican hair-helmet.....

[Wat_Tyler]

19. Yet another failed right-wing nut.

Did you hear that Manning is opening a Canadian Centre for Democracy here in Calgary to push his right-wing agenda? I guess it's 'cause all his other big ideas worked so well, didn't they?

[CHIMO]

27. The Topic

Isn't even up for discussion in their first convention. Wonder how the PC and Reform are going to come out of their first convention.

[Wat_Tyler]

28. In pieces.

[CHIMO]

29. One Can

Always hope. We might then get a better balance to the left.

[Wat_Tyler]

30. This is the problem -

Harper, Day, Manning et al bleat on and on about uniting the right. For some bizarre reason, they never realized that the right was already united - in the shape of the Reform Party. The remnant PCs were centrists - fiscal conservatives who were social liberals. Harper can never succeed in Manning's grand vision of an ideologically conservative Canadian government because Canada is not interested.
Idiots that they are, they think they can mould the nation to their viewpoint.

[Wat_Tyler]

21. Here's what Prentice is up against - Concerned Christians Canada.

http://concernedchristians.ca/pages/articles/commerce/jan2003.htm

Founded by Calgary's biggest wacko - crazy Craig Chandler.

'Concerned Christians Canada Inc., will NOT fall apart because I am not leading it. The clubs will NOT diminish. The CCC is God's organization. The CCC is NOT just Craig Chandler. The CCC is bigger than Craig Chandler. Have faith, God has brought good people into this organization and their love for God is real and they are not going anywhere.'

'Concerned Christians Canada Inc. is Canada's fastest growing for-profit Christian organization that brings together Canadians from coast to coast in an effort to increase their business contacts and support the fight for religious freedoms and family values.

There are two distinct sides of Concerned Christians Canada Inc. and various types of memberships.'

[terrya]

31. That is exactly right.

How interesting, indeed, that a right wing politician to articulate that there simply ARE no reasons to deny gay and lesbian folks the right to marry. There IS no authority, moral or otherwise, to deny gay and lesbian AMERICAN couples the right to marry. Period. End of sentence.

Jim Prentice got it exactly right. He is to be commended for his common sense attitudes towards same-sex marriage.

Thanks, Wat_Tyler for posting this.

T

[Wat_Tyler]

32. No problem, Terry.

And, the opinion is spreading - at least three Conservative MP's will support full marriage rights. That suggests that the bill will pass the House of Commons and put Canada at the forefront of progressive nations on this matter.

[Toucano]

33. What moral authority indeed!

It's none of the government's business.

[Wat_Tyler]

34. It's a paradox - how can Conservatives claim to be for smaller government

yet favour greater social control? Do they not see the inherent contradiction in their standpoint?