CANADIAN PM STILL FACES GAY MARRIAGE FIGHT: From the Toronto Star

The stage is set for Canada to become--as early as next year--the third country in the world to legalize gay marriage.

But it will require an exercise of political will and muscle for the federal government to pass legislation that puts the country in the same league as the Netherlands and Belgium.

Prime Minister Paul Martin, armed with a dry Supreme Court of Canada legal opinion that stamped "constitutional" on the Liberals' bill to extend civil marriage rights to gays and lesbians, said his minority government will move in January to do just that.

Martin said he has enough votes within the divided 134-member Liberal caucus and other parties to pass it, and will oblige his cabinet ministers to vote with one voice in favour of gay marriage. Martin needs 155 votes in all. ...

"It is one that I've struggled with, but fundamentally it comes down to the equality rights under the Charter," said Martin. "I do not believe you can have two classes of citizen."

"The Charter essentially says all Canadians must be treated equally, and I don't think that there's any other way to interpret the Charter, and I don't think there's any other way to look at our country."

Northern Development Minister Joe Comuzzi signalled that he might vote against the bill. Several Liberal MPs have said they will do that, but Comuzzi is the first cabinet minister to suggest it.

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posted by Eve at 8:22 PM VOTE

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