UPDATE (Jan. 12, 8:35pm): According to the Star and the Globe, our federal Justice Minister, Rob Nicholson, has repeated Harper's promise that the government "has no intention of reopening the debate on the definition of marriage."
There's also more doubt over whether Harper did have personal knowledge of the situation. Bob Rae, for one, says he takes the Prime Minister at his word that he didn't, and (as iPolitics explains here) the issue raised in Question Period months ago (mentioned below) was about a different couple in a different legal situation.
Others, like David Miller, claim that Harper – who is famous for strictly controlling the minutiae of his government's messages and policies – must have known about such an important change in the way the Justice Department's lawyers were interpreting the law. The former Toronto mayor told the Globe, “I ran a major government – the sixth largest government in Canada – and I can tell you that this kind of decision would not happen without the Prime Minister being briefed".
As for those curious about Harper's own personal opinion on the issue of gay marriage, he had this say back in 2005, when the law was being debated: "It will come as no surprise to anybody to know that I support the traditional definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, as expressed in our traditional common law."
UPDATE (Jan 12, 2pm): The Toronto Star has Harper's reaction here, in which he suggests it's all news to him (despite the fact that it was brought up in Question Period months ago).
ORIGINAL POST:
We woke up this morning to the news that our Prime Minister is robbing people of their marriages.
There's also more doubt over whether Harper did have personal knowledge of the situation. Bob Rae, for one, says he takes the Prime Minister at his word that he didn't, and (as iPolitics explains here) the issue raised in Question Period months ago (mentioned below) was about a different couple in a different legal situation.
Others, like David Miller, claim that Harper – who is famous for strictly controlling the minutiae of his government's messages and policies – must have known about such an important change in the way the Justice Department's lawyers were interpreting the law. The former Toronto mayor told the Globe, “I ran a major government – the sixth largest government in Canada – and I can tell you that this kind of decision would not happen without the Prime Minister being briefed".
As for those curious about Harper's own personal opinion on the issue of gay marriage, he had this say back in 2005, when the law was being debated: "It will come as no surprise to anybody to know that I support the traditional definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, as expressed in our traditional common law."
UPDATE (Jan 12, 2pm): The Toronto Star has Harper's reaction here, in which he suggests it's all news to him (despite the fact that it was brought up in Question Period months ago).
ORIGINAL POST:
We woke up this morning to the news that our Prime Minister is robbing people of their marriages.
When Canada legalized same sex marriage in 2005, it became a beacon of hope to gay couples who were still being discriminating against in their own countries. People traveled here from all over the world to tie the knot. And they returned home with marriage certificates legally testifying to their love and commitment. No matter how hateful and homophobic their own governments were, they had made their vows in a place where they were accepted for who their were. Canada refused to discriminate against them simply because they had fallen in love with someone who happened to share their own gender.
That is, until today, when it was revealed that our Conservative government no longer recognizes those marriages as legal. If you came from a country that doesn't believe in gay marriage, as far as Stephen Harper is concerned, you are no longer married.
We feel sick.
Harper has claimed in the past that he has no intention of re-opening the debate about same sex marriage in Canada — clearly realizing that the people of this country don't share the hateful, discriminatory beliefs of many in his party. So this, it would seem, is either the first step in breaking that promise, or a chance to discriminate against any gay relationships the Conservatives can, thinking that if the victims aren't Canadian, Canadians won't care.
Harper has claimed in the past that he has no intention of re-opening the debate about same sex marriage in Canada — clearly realizing that the people of this country don't share the hateful, discriminatory beliefs of many in his party. So this, it would seem, is either the first step in breaking that promise, or a chance to discriminate against any gay relationships the Conservatives can, thinking that if the victims aren't Canadian, Canadians won't care.
You can read more details in an article published early this morning in The Globe and Mail here. You can contact our Prime Minster here.
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Photo: Stephen Harper kisses his wife, Laureeen
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