A matter of time for gay ‘marriage’ in Canada

The government has been forced to look at the issue following a 2003 decision by the Ontario Court of Appeal, which changed the definition of marriage in the province immediately. The Globe and Mail quotes former Justice Minister Martin Cauchon as saying ‘the obvious’ could not be denied anymore. ‘Shutting gays and lesbians out of marriage was closing the door on their rights,’ he said. The government had been hoping to get legal backing to carry the issue through a vote in the House of Commons when it referred the matter to the Supreme Court, However, the court refused to say that the traditional definition of marriage was unconstitutional, opting instead to say only that the government\'s revised definition was acceptable under the Charter. Commentators say the vote in parliament could go either way, something that Cauchon acknowledges. Full report in The Globe and Mail