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June 19, 2003
"Gay marriage" backed by PM Tony Blair
Ontario's constitutional ruling on gay marriage may have had an effect beyond Canada as a bill giving gay partners the same legal rights as married couples is to be introduced in the British Parliament with Tony Blair's support:
Under the Bill, pension and property rights will be conferred on homosexual couples for the first time - provided they agree to sign an official register of partnerships. The changes would transform the lives of gay and lesbian people, allowing them to benefit from a dead spouse's pension, exempt them from inheritance tax on a partner's home and give next of kin rights in hospitals.
Canada's ruling federal Liberal party have "little appetite for an appeal" of the Ontario court decision and will table legislation to bring Canadian marriage law in line with the Constitution.
The direction the courts were going in was clear: the Quebec Superior Court and the Ontario Court of Appeal had also ruled in favour of same-sex marriage. "The logic was pretty powerful � it was three strikes, you're out," said one government source.
And then... Andrew Sullivan calls the Ontario court decision a "watershed" and makes the same connection to the British government's decision to move ahead with civil unions. Sullivan then points out the following:
Both Blair and Chretien are Christians, by the way. Like many other non-fundamentalists, they seem personally committed to extending governmental recognition of gay dignity and humanity.
Posted by Ghost of a flea at June 19, 2003 11:38 AM
