Harper confirms re-opening vote is coming
Published by Patrick April 12th, 2006 in Pride Tags: equal-marriage, Pride, tories.
The prime minister avoided the issue in his April 4 Speech from the Throne (meant to outline the government’s agenda for the upcoming session), so Canadians for Equal Marriage held a press conference the following morning. In the media theatre on Parliament Hill, Emily Turk and Cynthia Misener, a lesbian couple hoping to marry later this year, called on Harper to reveal his intentions.
“Nobody should have to plan their wedding under this kind of threat,” they said.
Within two hours, Justice Minister Vic Toews responded by confirming the government’s plan to hold a vote on re-opening the equal marriage debate “sooner rather than later”. Harper himself said a vote would take place “within the life of this Parliament, probably in the fall.”
So, once again, the equality of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-identified people is threatened, and the right of all Canadian couples to access civil marriage is hanging in the balance.