In a series of moves that has stunned Christians and conservatives in
the U.S., Canada appears to be on the verge of legalizing homosexual
marriage.
"The audacity of gay activists in that country, and the swiftness with
which those changes are occurring, is a real cause for alarm here in the
U.S.," said AFA Chairman Don Wildmon.
Last week a Canadian court in the province of Ontario ruled that the
current federal definition of marriage - limiting it to a man and a
woman - discriminated against gays and lesbians. The court said such a
definition was unconstitutional.
Subsequently, the federal government, headed by Prime Minister Jean
Chretien and his cabinet, decided not to appeal that provincial court
decision to the nation's Supreme Court, and instead decided to pass
legislation legalizing same-sex marriage.
"You have to look at history as an evolution of society," The New York
Times quoted Chretien as saying. "According to the interpretation of the
courts these unions should be legal in Canada. We will ensure that our
legislation includes and legally recognizes the union of same-sex couples."
Once Chretien's staffers have drafted the legislation, the Canadian
legislature - the House of Commons - is expected to quickly pass it
within a matter of months, according to The Globe and Mail (Toronto).
Part of the new legislation would allow religious institutions the right
to refuse to perform same-sex marriages, but the Prime Minister appeared
unsympathetic to churches that oppose the homosexual lifestyle.
According to Life Site Daily News, when asked about his own personal
views, Chretien implied that he was progressive, but added, "It is
religion that is the problem."
Internationally, if Canada does legalize same-sex marriage, it will join
Belgium and the Netherlands as the only three nations in the world to
take such a radical step.
However, Christians and other cultural conservatives are worried about
the effect of Canada's decision on the U.S. - and apparently with good
reason. Gay activists in this country intend to use legalized homosexual
marriages north of the border to press for change here.
"What this presents for American [gay] couples is an opportunity to
easily enter into a legal marriage [in Canada] and come back to the
United States with a powerful tool to break down the remaining
discrimination here," Lavi Soloway, founder of the New York-based
Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force, told The Times.
Those in the U.S. who believe that same-sex marriages would spell the
demise of the traditional institution of marriage are gearing up for a
fight over the issue. With the Massachusetts Supreme Court expected this
summer to legalize gay marriage in that state, the events in Canada
further underscore the need for a constitutional amendment to protect
marriage.
"This is why AFA supports the Marriage Protection Amendment, currently in
the House of Representatives," said Wildmon. "Christians and others who
believe in traditional marriage have perhaps one last opportunity to
prevent the radical overthrow of thousands of years of Western
Civilization - all happening in the blink of an eye."
Christians in Canada have much less hope of stopping the homosexual
marriage juggernaut. The New York Times said that polling experts and
social scientists in that country have long observed that religious
conservatives are far less influential in Canada than in the U.S., with
far fewer Canadians attending church on a regular basis.
