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Same-sex marriage Bill introduced in Canada
Canada becomes world's third nation to introduce the same-sex marriage Bill, reports Gurmukh Singh.
Canada on Tuesday became the third country in the world after the Netherlands and Belgium to introduce the same-sex marriage legislation.
While the two European nations have already okayed the Bill, a divided Canadian Parliament discusses the legislation from now onwards.
Introducing the Bill, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler asked MPs to support what he termed "important legislation" which showed Canada's respect for minority rights.
Considering the opposition from the Conservative Party and religious organisations, the minority government of the Liberal Party is likely to face a touch time on the issue.
Lower courts in eight out of 13 Canadian provinces and Territories have already ruled in favour of same-sex marriages.
This forced the federal government of the previous Prime Minister Jean Chretien to seek the opinion of the country's supreme court whether it was legal to allow same-sex unions through a federal law throughout Canada.
The apex court ruled in December last that the federal government could change the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.
Since Prime Minister Paul Martin announced last month his intention to introduce the same-sex Bill, this country has seen a bitter debate on any social issue never seen before.
While Conservative and religious leaders insist that any change in the traditional definition of marriage will spell disaster for society, the ruling Liberal Party says under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms introduced in 1982, it cannot deny the right to marriage to gay and lesbian couples.
However, under the proposed law, religious institutions and priests will not be forced to perform same-sex marriages.
Over 3,000 same-sex couples across Canada have already performed civil marriages.
Roman Catholic, Sikh and Muslim groups have joined the Conservative Party in opposing the Bill.
In fact, the issue dogged Prime Minister Martin during his trip to Asia last month. During his New Delhi joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Martin had to respond to the edict of the Sikh high priest of the Akal Takht, Joginder Singh Vedanti who asked the Sikhs (Martin's party has four Sikh MPs) to oppose the same-sex marriages.
At one time, the prime minister threatened to call a snap poll on the issue.
The Catholic archbishop of Toronto has shot a letter to the prime minister, asking him to wait for a period of five years before the issue is thoroughly debated and Canada can see the results of same-sex marriages in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The archbishop of Quebec, in his protest letter, said the same-sex legislation will unleash 'cultural upheaval' in the country.
The Roman Catholic bishop of Calgary has gone to the extent of calling the government to come on homosexuality with a heavy hand.
The Conservative Party has launched a nationwide ad campaign in the ethnic media - Punjabi, Italian, Chinese, Korean, etc - to woo immigrant communities who traditionally support the Liberal Party, which has ruled Canada for 10 years now.
Except the Conservative Party, two other Opposition parties - the NDP and Bloc Quebecois - are supporting the bill, making its passage by a narrow margin a possibility.
